Court Orders Basic Education Dept to Publish 2021 Matric Results

The Pretoria High Court has ruled that the Matric results must be published on all media platforms.

The application was brought by 18-year-old matric pupil Anlé Spies who told the court that the decision not to publish the matric results was irrational and ill-informed.

Spies application was supported by AfriForum and Maroela Media.

The Basic Education Department did not oppose the court application.

In the ruling on Tuesday, the judge cited poverty as one of the challenges that will see some learners unable to access their results online, while a newspaper can reach many hands.

“The First Respondent is ordered to publish the National Senior Certificate results on public platforms (media platforms) as was the practice in previous years, concurrently with making available the results to the schools that had been attended by the learners.”

Earlier this month, The department announced that media outlets would no longer be allowed to publish matric results, citing concerns over the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act.

The National Senior Certificate results will be released on 21 January.