Court rules in favour of publishing matric results

THE Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, ruled on Friday, that matric results may once again be published on public platforms.

- ZELDA VENTER

Three judges rejected the arguments that learners will memorise each other's examination numbers in order to study each other's results, as being unrealistic.

The ruling confirms that publishing the results on public platforms using only examination numbers instead of names protects matriculants' privacy.

This has been an ongoing issue since 2022, and while several judges have up to now given the green light for the publication, the matter has never been fully ventilated. The dispute over the public publication of matric results began in 2022 when the Department of Basic Education (DBE) tried to prohibit it.

At the time, the judge agreed with AfriForum and the other parties involved that the publication of the results was in the public interest and that the use of examination numbers instead of the names of the matriculants provided sufficient protection for their privacy.