KwaZulu-Natal has declared itself ready for its biggest-ever National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, with 203,815 candidates set to begin writing on Tuesday, 13 October.
At a State of Readiness media briefing at the Maritime School of Excellence in Durban on Monday, 12 October, provincial Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka outlined the department’s preparations for an examination operation involving hundreds of thousands of candidates, thousands of examination personnel and a tightly managed question-paper distribution network.
The declaration comes as the province prepares to manage the logistical demands of the examinations, protect the integrity of the process and ensure candidates can write under fair and secure conditions.
The examinations will run until 26 November, with the 2026 candidate total representing an increase of 7,916 from the 195,899 candidates who registered in 2025 – a rise of approximately 4%.
Hlomuka described the examinations as the biggest ever conducted in KwaZulu-Natal and the largest examination operation in the country.
The scale of the operation places significant responsibility on the department to ensure that question papers reach examination centres securely and on time, that invigilators are properly prepared and that any irregularities or disruptions are dealt with effectively.
The examinations will be conducted at approximately 1,766 examination centres, with about 31,156 invigilators trained to oversee the process. The department has also put measures in place to identify, prevent and manage examination irregularities, while contingency plans have been developed to respond to severe weather and other unforeseen disruptions.
“Our objective is to ensure that we conduct an irregularity-free examination process,” Hlomuka said, stressing that the credibility of the qualification depended on the integrity of the examinations.
“The integrity of the NSC examinations is non-negotiable.”
The department’s preparations include the printing of 112 question papers, amounting to approximately 32 million individual prints. The papers will be moved through 13 storage points and 103 distribution and collection centres.
The examination timetable consists of 29 morning sessions and 24 afternoon sessions, requiring close coordination between the department, examination centres and personnel responsible for the secure handling of materials.
The department’s readiness will also be tested by the timing of the local government elections, which fall during the final examination period. Hlomuka said this would be the first time elections coincided with the final examination period, prompting the department to work with relevant government structures to limit the impact of electoral processes on schools and candidates.
The matric timetable has been revised to accommodate the circumstances, while similar protections have been arranged for internal examinations for Grades 4 to 11.
The internal examinations are scheduled to run from 21 October to 14 November.
The department has engaged stakeholders, including organised labour and the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Education, chaired by Mavimbela, as part of its preparations.
Beyond the logistics and security arrangements, the department says it has invested in additional academic support to help candidates prepare for the examinations.
Its Winter Tuition Programme ran during June and July, with more than 4,380 learners attending winter camps. Spring Boot Camps were also held across all 11 education districts during October, with the department reporting that more than 4,380 learners benefited.
The department has also piloted a virtual therapy programme to support matric candidates’ mental well-being, with the intention of expanding the initiative across all districts.
The intervention comes as candidates face the pressure of final examinations, with the MEC warning learners not to allow anxiety to undermine their preparation.
Hlomuka urged candidates to believe in themselves, read questions carefully and manage their time effectively during each paper.
“The biggest enemy that seeks to undermine your preparation is anxiety. You must not allow it to win,” he said.
Once the examinations conclude, the next major task will be marking and processing the results.
The department has identified a total of 12,386 personnel for the marking operation. This includes 8,186 markers, 1,637 senior markers, 325 deputy chief markers, 67 chief markers, 65 internal moderators, 348 examination administration personnel and 1,758 examination assistants.
Appointment letters for markers are expected to be issued on or before 16 October, while marking is scheduled to take place from 2 to 11 December.
The national results are expected to be announced on 11 January 2027, followed by the KwaZulu-Natal provincial announcement on 12 January.
The figures outlined at Monday’s briefing show the scale of the task facing the provincial education department. With more than 200,000 candidates depending on the examination system, any failure in the handling of question papers, staffing, security or the management of disruptions could have serious consequences for learners.
The department says its preparations are designed to protect candidates and ensure a credible examination process. The challenge now is to ensure that these plans are implemented effectively at every examination centre throughout the province.
The examinations begin on Tuesday, 13 October, and conclude on 26 November.
Hlomuka reminded candidates that the NSC qualification could open doors to further study and employment, urging them to approach the examinations with confidence and determination.
“The NSC is more than an examination. It is an important gateway to higher education, skills development, employment and economic opportunity,” he said.
The Class of 2026 will now put years of schooling to the test, while the department faces the responsibility of ensuring that every candidate has a fair opportunity to write and that the integrity of the results is protected.
