Education employees suspected of involvement in NSC matric exam breach suspended

THE Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, has credited the Department of Education's (DBE) multi-layered quality-assurance systems and markers’ diligence, for identifying a breach during the marking of the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.

During an urgent media briefing today at the Good Hope Chambers in Cape Town, the minister said they believed a DBE employee, who is also a parent of a Grade 12 pupil, accessed exam materials, with evidence suggesting that another DBE official in the examinations unit provided the question papers.

The minister said the DBE employees suspected of involvement were immediately suspended and the matter had been referred to the South African Police Service for criminal investigation, with charges likely to include unlawful possession of state property.

“We are not making assumptions about guilt – each case will be individually assessed. We are committed to supporting innocent pupils who worked hard and played no part in this breach." 

During the media briefing, the minister said the marking of the 2025 NSC scripts began on December 1. However, on December 2 an anomaly was flagged in Gauteng when markers identified “unusual similarity” between the answers of a candidate for English Home Language Paper 2 and the official marking guideline.

“Candidates of six scripts demonstrated a close resemblance to the Marking Guideline, and in one case, selected responses were a replica of the Marking Guideline,” Gwarube said.

This, she said, triggered a preliminary joint investigation by the DBE and the Gauteng Department of Education, which quickly confirmed that the integrity of several examination papers had been compromised.

“The breach did not come to light through rumours. It was not discovered by chance. Markers, whose training includes investigative marking, are equipped to know the difference between authentic learner responses and content that should only be accessible to markers." 

The minister confirmed that the breach was traced back to the national DBE offices, where NSC question papers are set. 

Key preliminary findings include:

• Seven question papers across three subjects were accessed prior to writing
• English Home Language Papers 1, 2 and 3
• Mathematics Papers 1 and 2
• Physical Sciences Papers 1 and 2
• The papers were distributed using a USB storage device.
• The breach appears localised to seven schools in a specific area in Pretoria, with no current evidence of nationwide spread.

She said investigators interviewed 26 pupils, many of whom admitted to prior access to the leaked papers and accompanying marking guidelines.

Gwarube said to ensure independent oversight, the Director-General had established a National Investigative Task Team (NITT), which would begin work within the next 24 hours. The team’s mandate, she said, included confirming the source and spread of the breach, identifying implicated pupils, recommending measures to safeguard the 2025 results, and proposing long-term security improvements.

The minister reiterated that the breach, while serious, affected a small portion of the country’s nearly one million candidates.

“The fact that only a limited number of scripts triggered our alarms, and that the system responded immediately and in full force, demonstrates that our system is functioning. We will always act to protect the integrity of our national examinations." 

A preliminary report will be presented to the National Examination Irregularities Committee (NEIC) on December 29, and the final report will reach both the Minister and Umalusi on December 31.

The Minister confirmed that the DBE remained on track for the national results announcement on January 12, with results released to candidates on January 13.

THE POST