Umalusi has confirmed that South Africa’s education system is ready to conduct the 2026 year-end national examinations, with more than one million candidates expected to write across the country.
The quality assurance council announced on Thursday that it is satisfied with the state of readiness of the Department of Basic Education (DBE), the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) and the South African Comprehensive Assessment Institute (SACAI) to administer this year’s examinations.
Umalusi said it conducted a comprehensive state-of-readiness audit between 24 August and 30 September 2026.
The audit assessed candidate registration, staffing at examination and marking centres, moderation of question papers, security measures, mark-capturing systems and procedures for managing examination irregularities.
The council approved all 283 subject question papers after confirming that they met the required standards for validity, fairness and reliability.
According to Umalusi, approximately 1 079 879 candidates have registered for the 2026 year-end examinations.
Of these, 989 141 are National Senior Certificate (NSC) candidates, while the remainder are registered for the General Education and Training Certificate: Adult Basic Education and Training (GETC: ABET) and National Certificate (Vocational) Level 4 qualifications.
Candidates will write their examinations at 9 183 examination centres nationwide. Umalusi said all centres have been assessed according to their risk levels, with resident monitors to be deployed at high-risk centres alongside regular monitoring activities.
The council also expressed confidence in the security measures for printing, packaging, storage and distribution of examination papers, saying adequate plans are in place to protect the integrity of the examination process. It further confirmed that all assessment bodies have trained invigilators and sufficient marking capacity, although the DBE is addressing shortages of markers for Afrikaans Home Language, English Home Language and History through a phased marking approach.
Overall, Umalusi concluded that the examination system is broadly ready to conduct the national examinations. It said the concerns identified are not systemic and do not threaten the credibility or integrity of the examinations, while corrective measures are being implemented where necessary.
However, the council warned against examination irregularities and appealed to candidates to avoid any unlawful attempts to gain an unfair advantage. It also urged schools, parents, political leaders and communities to minimise disruptions during the examination period, particularly as this year’s timetable has been adjusted to accommodate the local government elections on 4 November.
Following the examinations, Umalusi will oversee the standardisation and quality assurance of results before deciding on their release. The council is expected to announce whether the results may be released at a media briefing on 8 January 2027.
Umalusi also revealed that the final report into the 2025 National Senior Certificate examination paper breach found the incident was limited to 40 Pretoria-based candidates out of about 600 000 who wrote the affected subjects. The Department of Basic Education’s disciplinary processes are continuing.
The council wished the Class of 2026 well, encouraging candidates to approach their examinations with confidence, discipline and integrity.
