According to the Minister of Basic Education, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination is progressing well across all nine provinces with no major glitches reported thus far. As part of her random NSC examination oversight and monitoring visits across all nine provinces, the Minister visited the Anton Lembede Mathematics, Science and Technology (MST) Academy in the KwaZulu-Natal Province on 22 October 2026.
During her visit, Minister Gwarube addressed matriculants who were scheduled to write Accounting Paper 1. She expressed her gratitude to the school principal, Mr Dumisani Sibaya, for his impeccable record of producing excellent results since the school was established in 2021. Mr Sibaya indicated that the Class of 2026 prepared thoroughly for the NSC examination and assured the Minister that he expected them to achieve a 100% pass rate, quality bachelor passes and 50% distinctions per subject. “The past five NSC examination papers have been successfully administered. These include Information Technology P1; English Home Language P3; IsiZulu Home Language P3; History P1; and Information Technology P2. We are now looking forward to the smooth administration of the Accounting P1 and several other papers that will be written over the next two to three remaining weeks,” said Mr Sibaya during his briefing session with the Minister.
Mr Sibaya then led Minister Gwarube to the school auditorium where she addressed and motivated 50 matriculants. In her brief address, Minister Gwarube reminded them that education remained a vital tool to transform their lives for the better. She advised them to dream big as all personal goals are possible with determination and vision: “However, I must admit that the NSC examination comes with sacrifices and a stressful burden that may often leave you frustrated and overwhelmed. I therefore encourage you to take care of your mental health to remain focused and energised. Should you feel overwhelmed, know that you have people around you who care. If you feel that you are unable to cope academically, you need someone you trust to open up to about your circumstances before it gets out of hand. I wish you the best of luck with your upcoming examinations, and I am sure that you will make us proud”.
The Minister ended her visit with a tour to two examination centres where Accounting P1 was administered. During the process, Minister Gwarube went through a security check before gaining access to the examination centre to observe how examination personnel, invigilators and provincial NSC examination monitors, performed their exam-related duties. Minister Gwarube will continue to monitor the NSC examination in the remaining provinces over the next coming weeks.