Court set to rule on publication of 2024 matric results

The department of basic education and the Information Regulator (IR) faced off in the High Court in Pretoria yesterday, debating whether the 2024 matric results should be published in newspapers.

- Molefe Seeletsa

The IR filed an urgent application to block the release of the National Senior Certificate examination results in this manner, citing concerns about the violation of pupils' privacy under the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia).

However, the department has opposed the application, with AfriForum joining the case as an interested party.

Despite the IR's enforcement notice issued in November and the threat of a potential R5 million fine, the department plans to release the results next week.

The department failed to confirm within 31 days whether it would refrain from publishing the results in line with the notice, according to the regulator.

Judge Ronel Tolmay, who presided over the matter, questioned the urgency of the application.

She criticised the IR for late submissions, stating that the explanation for the late filing was "totally unacceptable".