By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Department of Basic Education says it has received representations from a vast array of organisations and individuals as well as an urgent court application on the decision to stop the practice of publishing National Senior Certificate results on media platforms.
In a statement on Sunday, the department said it was guided by the need to comply with all the legal obligations but in the final analysis the Constitution commands the DBE to act in the best interest of the learner.
“In a quest to strike this delicate balance of complying with POPIA and act in the best interest of the learner, the Department has been engaged with a number of role players including the Information Regulator and the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF),” the department said.
The department said that in view of the latest developments with regards to the release of the 2021 Matric Results and the impending litigation, the Department has decided that it will abide by the decision of the Court.
The Department has communicated its position to stakeholders it has engaged including SANEF and other parties.
“Meanwhile the Department urges candidates to register on the DBE website to view their results when they become available. Candidates will have to go through a two-step verification process before receiving confirmation of their registration. A 13-digit ID number and the examination number will be required for registration,” the department said.
The DBE website is zero-rated, which means learners can access it whether they have data or not.
The department said that more than 10 000 people had successfully registered by noon on Sunday.
Civil society group AfriForum, Maroela Media and Anlé Spies (a 2021 matriculant) served court papers on Friday (14 January) to oppose the Department of Basic Education’s sudden decision not to publish the 2021 matric results in the media on an urgent basis in court.
The urgent application will be heard in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on 18 January before the matric results are made available on 21 January 2022.