• It cost the Department of Basic Education a whopping R3.6 billion to run the 2024 matric exams.
• This is because each candidate costs the government between R3 800 and R4 000 to print exams, transport them and mark them.
• The department says it is looking into the Government Printing Works to print more exams in the future as currently each province outsources paper printing.

In efforts to “set the record straight” on a City Press article that alleges that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) flagrantly spent billions on printing exam papers, the department has revealed exactly how much money it spent on the 2024 matric exams and it’s… a lot.

In a statement, DBE says that it costs government an eye-watering R3.6 billion to cover most of the necessary processes to conduct the end-year exams at R3 800 and R4 000 per candidate writing seven subjects. With 727 121 full-time candidates and 155 215 part-time candidates writing this year.

This is not just the cost of printing the exam papers, but the department claims that enormous figure covers the cost of:

• “Setting of the question papers,
• Moderation of the question papers,
• Printing of the question papers,
• Transport of the question papers and storage (which includes tracking tech for trucks),
• Security of the question papers,
• Marking which includes remuneration for markers, accommodation, travel, meals and venue costs,
• Maintenance and enhancements to the Examination Computer system,
• and finally printing and distribution of statement of results.”

City Press alleged that printing the question papers alone amounted to R3.6 billion, which the department is saying is actually the full amount the 2024 matric exams cost to be conducted. Instead, DBE claims printing alone stands at R220 million.

The full R3.6 billion is approximately 11.18 percent of the department’s 2023/2024 budget of R32.2 billion, from which it needed to run matric exams for two years. This is also not considering the other exams learners have to write during the year, not only in grade 12 but for all other grades.

DBE then explains another claim made by City Press, that allowing each province’s education department to outsource the printing of papers instead of using the Government Printing Works “ostensibly to avoid leaks, raises concerns about corruption and price gouging.”

The department claims that there is no national directive to make sure that all provinces print exams in the same way through the Government Printing Works (GPW).

“The impression created is that the Government Printing Works exists solely for the purpose of printing and packaging NSC examinations question papers, which is not correct,” it says.

“GPW in its current structure lacks the capacity to print secure question papers for all nine provincial education departments.”

“The Department of Basic Education is in continuous discussion with GPW to explore options of using the GPW more extensively in the printing of question papers and also investigating the digitilisation of question papers,” it said.

[Image – Photo by Fabian Blank on Unsplash]