Good Afternoon to the Deputy Minister, Dr Regina Mhaule,
The Director-General, H Mweli,
Chief Director for National Assessment and Public Examinations, Dr Poliah, 
Esteemed partners in education,
Members of the media,
and those joining us from home.

Matric Preparedness

Today, I brief the nation on the country's State of Readiness for the 2024 National Senior Certificate (matric) examinations.

These exams are not only a critical milestone for the learners involved, but they also represent the cumulative efforts of our education system, our schools, communities, and, of course, the Department of Basic Education.

With just hours to go before the first paper is written, I proudly announce that we are ready to administer the 2024 NSC exams - holding ourselves to best-in-class integrity, security, and efficiency standards.

Outside of the National and Local Government elections, I have yet to learn any other logistical project of the magnitude of the National Senior Certificate Examinations.

This year, 727,121 full-time and 155,215 part-time candidates will sit for the GDE matric exam—that's 882,336 candidates from across South Africa.

Concerning private schools, some 16 400 students will undertake the IEB exams.

These learners have faced a range of challenges throughout their academic journeys, mainly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in their earlier years of schooling.

The Class of 2024 entered Grade 8 in 2020, right at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The disruption caused by the pandemic during these formative years has had a lasting impact on their learning. Over the course of their academic journey, the Department has instituted several mitigation measures to address these gaps.

These interventions were part of our Learning Recovery Programme, which aimed to mitigate the effects of the pandemic and ensure that learners could make up for lost time.

Some key initiatives supporting the Class of 2024 have included personalised learning interventions, additional teaching support, and socio-emotional care.

Equally, provinces rolled out face-to-face extra tuition sessions, Saturday catch-up programmes, and extended school hours in key subjects—especially to learners who struggled to cope with the curriculum content due to earlier disruptions.

These targeted initiatives focused on subjects with high enrolments, such as Mathematics, Life Sciences, and Business Studies.

In addition to classroom-based interventions, learners have also benefited from extensive support in the form of revision materials, past question papers, and online resources made available through public-private partnerships with stakeholders such as Vodacom, MTN, the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) and other corporate partners, who have made an invaluable contribution to education in this country.

The adage "It takes a village to raise a child " is true, and that is evident in the education sector like nowhere else. Civil society and the private sector's support in helping to create an enabling environment is deeply felt. I want to encourage more members of the private sector and civil society to support the education sector as we face severe budget constraints. The system is under strain and needs your help.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The "Last Push" programme by the various provincial departments has played a crucial role in ensuring that learners can consolidate their learning in the final days before the exams.

These efforts have aimed to ensure that no learner is left behind.

Various provinces convened Winter, Spring, and other Matric camps to take matriculants away from disruptions at home and from social ills that could potentially distract them from their exam preparations. In the "Last Push," we have seen learners give their complete focus and attention to the upcoming matric exams. 
Furthermore, the Department has ensured that our learners with disabilities are adequately catered for.

Special accommodations, including Braille papers, large print, and South African Sign Language adaptations, have been made to ensure that these learners also have the resources and support they need to succeed.

Examination System Readiness

I now turn to the readiness of the exam system to administer the 2024 NSC Matric Exams.

The setting, printing, and distribution of question papers have been completed, with a total of 162 quality-assured papers approved by Umalusi for this year's NSC exams. Taking lessons from previous instances of editing errors, the Department introduced additional quality gates for an extra layer of checks.

In terms of security, the Department has taken extensive precautions to safeguard the integrity of the examination process. We have completed audits of all storage facilities across the country to ensure they meet the required standards for secure handling of examination materials.

All exam materials will be stored under strict conditions, and Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) have been equipped with Standard Operating Procedures to ensure the safe and secure handling of question papers from printing to distribution.

Furthermore, distribution trucks will be equipped with tracking systems to monitor their movements and ensure that question papers reach exam centres on time and without compromise.
As a department, we will monitor some 6,334 public schools and 575 independent centres where examinations will be conducted.

To ensure the integrity of the exams, we have deployed 70 part-time monitors to oversee high-risk centres. Additionally, at least 70% examination centres will be monitored per session. These efforts will help to prevent irregularities such as group copying or leakage of exam papers.

Programme Director,

Once the exams are completed, the focus will shift to the marking process, which is a critical part of ensuring the credibility and fairness of the NSC exams. The Department has appointed over 55,000 qualified markers across 188 marking centres nationwide.

These markers have been selected based on strict criteria to ensure that only experienced and qualified educators participate in the marking process.

To further ensure consistency and fairness, Marking Standardisation Meetings (MSMs) will be held for each subject.

These meetings will bring together subject specialists and chief markers to ensure that all marking is aligned with agreed-upon standards. External moderators from Umalusi will closely monitor the process to ensure that there is no variation in the quality and accuracy of the marking across different provinces.

The Department is fully aware of the potential risks that could compromise the integrity of the examination process. In addition to the security measures I have mentioned, we are collaborating closely with the National Joint Operations Committee (NATJOCs) and the Provincial Joint Operations Committees (PROVJOCs) to ensure that security is always maintained.

These partnerships will help us manage any emerging risks and respond swiftly to any threats that may arise.

We are also engaging in an ongoing campaign to promote exam integrity among learners and their families. Two days ago, I joined the matriculants of Pretoria Central High School in a National Pledge-Signing Ceremony. Provincial MECs of Education also led pledge-signing ceremonies in their respective provinces.

All learners have now signed Exam Pledges, in which they make a declaration to uphold the principles of honesty and integrity throughout the exam period.

The pledge reinforces the importance of ethical conduct and discourage any attempts to engage in dishonest practices. Additionally, pledge-signing ceremonies have been held in schools across the country to publicly reaffirm learners' commitment to these values.

Members of the Media and those watching at home,

Despite the challenges faced by the Class of 2024, we are confident that our collective efforts have prepared them well for the upcoming examinations. Their journey has been one of resilience and determination, and we believe that they will rise to the occasion.

Finally, to the learners...

This is your moment to shine. You have worked hard over the past 12 years, and now you have the opportunity to showcase your knowledge, skills, and determination. We are confident that you will approach these exams with the focus, discipline, and commitment that have brought you this far. Please stay off Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and other social media to minimise disruptions during this critical time.

To the Department of Basic Education, along with our provincial counterparts,

Much has been done to prepare for the NSC exams but we must be vigilant. I am proud of the learners, teachers, schools, PEDs and the DBE for the way in which they have prepared for the NSC 2024, but we must be vigilant until the last examination is written. This requires the support of all South Africans, and all stakeholders, in respecting this precious opportunity in our young people’s lives and to give them the support they require. The DBE will be vigilant.

I know you remain committed to ensuring that the 2024 NSC exams are administered with the highest integrity, security, and efficiency standards.

These examinations will not only serve as a testament to the quality of the education we deliver in our classrooms but also as a stepping stone to the future success of our learners.

The eyes of the country are on us, we dare not falter.

In closing, I wish all our learners the best for the exams. You have the support of your teachers, your families, and your communities behind you. Approach these exams confidently and know that the nation is rooting for your success.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I declare the country ready for the 2024 Matric Examinations.

Thank you.