South Africa and Zimbabwe report record student exam registrations

South Africa and Zimbabwe are seeing record numbers of students participating in national examinations for 2026.

In South Africa, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced that 962,832 candidates have registered for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations. This includes 815,051 full-time candidates, marking the largest full-time cohort in the history of the exams. The department has established 7,100 exam centres and recruited over 51,000 educators to assist with marking. Minister Gwarube emphasized a “zero-tolerance approach to examination irregularities” and urged communities not to disrupt the exams for political or socio-economic reasons.

In Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) reported its highest combined candidature to date, with more than 386,000 candidates sitting for Ordinary and Advanced Level examinations. This represents an 8.6 percent increase from the approximately 355,633 candidates in 2025. The rise in numbers has prompted discussions regarding school retention rates and government efforts to improve access to education.