The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has confirmed that it will proceed with the release of the 2024 matric results to the media, following a legal battle with the Information Regulator.
DBE approached the High Court in Pretoria on Friday to challenge an enforcement notice issued by the Information Regulator, which had prohibited the public release of matric results. This notice was aimed at protecting the privacy of learners.
The Information Regulator’s decision raised concerns about the potential violation of learners’ privacy under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). According to the regulator, the disclosure of matric results through public platforms such as newspapers could be seen as a breach of the act, which mandates strict rules on how personal information should be handled.
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However, the Department of Basic Education has vehemently maintained that the publication of examination numbers and corresponding results does not breach the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI Act).
DBE has filed papers in the Pretoria High Court to set aside the enforcement notice issued by the Information Regulator. That means Matric Results will be released to newspapers that wish to carry them on 13 January 2025. pic.twitter.com/hayRtpTa4t
— Elijah Mhlanga (@ElijahMhlanga) December 15, 2024
“The department feels that it has a case to make in the courts for several reasons. One of them is that there was already a court order which permitted the department to proceed and release results in the newspapers. But we also feel that the use of exam numbers does not infringe on the identification of persons, because those are unique numbers that the department uses to identify learners for its own purposes,” said DBE’s Elijah Mhlanga
The Class of 2024’s matric results will be released on 13 January 2025. Provincial education departments will release their results on 14 January 2025 (online and at schools).
