Quality assurance council, Umalusi, says it has noted with concern the issues raised by Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube regarding reported irregularities in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) Mathematics, Physical Sciences and English Home Language examinations.
The Minister briefed the media earlier on Thursday, highlighting suspected breaches linked to this year’s exam papers.
In a statement, Umalusi confirmed that it received a preliminary report from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) on Wednesday, 10 December 2025, outlining the nature of the alleged irregularities.
“Having studied the report, Umalusi is satisfied with the steps taken by the DBE thus far, including reporting the case to the SAPS [South African Police Service]. Similarly, Umalusi is pleased by the ongoing investigative work aimed at determining the magnitude of the irregularities,” Umalusi said.
It further welcomed the ongoing investigations aimed at establishing the scale and scope of the breaches. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) is expected to table its final findings before the Executive Committee of the Umalusi Council during the approval of results meetings scheduled for 6–8 January 2026.
To safeguard the integrity of the investigations, Umalusi said it will not engage the media further on the matter until 09 January 2026, when it will make a pronouncement on the conduct, administration and management of the 2025 year-end national examinations.
The council moved to reassure the Class of 2025, parents, higher education institutions and stakeholders that the probe will not delay the release of results for all NSC candidates who are not implicated in the alleged irregularities.
This as this year’s NSC examinations began on 21 October and concluded on 27 November.– SAnews.gov.za
