The Department of Basic Education has announced that the identities of matric students will be protected when the final exam results are released. This follows an enforcement notice issued by the Information Regulator, which sought to prevent the department from publishing the results next month on public platforms, including newspapers.
In response, the department has lodged an appeal to overturn the regulator's notice issued in November. Elijah Mhlanga, spokesperson for the Basic Education Department, confirmed that the appeal has led to the suspension of the enforcement notice.
"We have filed our court papers, which allow the department to proceed with the release of results to newspaper houses. These will be published in the usual practice, where only exam numbers are used and not the full names of candidates," Mhlanga stated.
The department's move to appeal aims to maintain the long-standing tradition of publishing results through newspapers while ensuring the privacy of students is upheld.