Randburg: South Africa’s national education quality assurance body, Umalusi, has approved the release of the November 2024 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations. The national results are set to be released later today.
According to South African Government News Agency, the approval statements consolidate decisions made after a thorough review of evidence by various stakeholders at different stages of Umalusi’s quality assurance process. Umalusi Council Chairperson, Yunus Ballim, stated that the Executive Committee’s (EXCO) approval confirms that the assessments leading to certification in schools, adult education centres, and technical and vocational education and training colleges met the required standards across all qualifications for the examinations conducted during this period.
Ballim emphasized that a key step preceding the approval is the ‘standardisation of the examination results’ by the Assessment Standards Committee (ASC) of Umalusi Council. This process involved a detailed and rigorous analysis of results for over 500 subjects across four assessment bodies and qualifications. The standardisation meetings relied on numerical evidence and narrative reports to reach decisions.
Significantly, no irregularities were reported that could have compromised the integrity of the examinations. Ballim expressed satisfaction that there were no paper leakages or other issues affecting the credibility of the exams. He acknowledged the efforts of all examining bodies and related stakeholders, including the State Security Agency, in safeguarding the process.
Ballim lauded the achievements of the Class of 2024 and extended encouragement to those who did not pass. He congratulated successful candidates and expressed gratitude to the teachers, parents, guardians, and support staff who contributed to the learners’ success. Ballim advised unsuccessful candidates to persevere and work harder for better results in future examinations. He urged them to consult Umalusi’s website for guidance on selecting reputable institutions for further education.
Reaffirming Umalusi’s dedication to South Africa’s education system, Ballim highlighted the importance of providing certificates with credibility to young people pursuing education as a means to build their lives. The marking of the NSC examinations began on 27 November 2024, involving over 50,000 markers. Statistics revealed that more than 727,000 full-time candidates and approximately 155,215 part-time candidates were registered for the 2024 NSC examinations.