KZN Education Department confirms readiness for results release and 2026 school reopening

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education says it is fully prepared for both the release of the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination results and the start of the 2026 academic year, following interventions at senior management level.

The department announced that delivery of outstanding Learning and Teaching Support Materials (LTSM) to schools resumed immediately after a marathon MEC Management Meeting (MMM) held on Monday.

This move aims to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted reopening of schools, which are scheduled to resume on Wednesday, 14 January 2026.

“This decisive intervention is aimed at ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted start to the 2026 academic year,” the department said in a statement.

In addition to addressing school readiness, the department confirmed that all systems are in place for the official release of the 2025 matric results.

Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka met with the head of department and other senior officials on Monday and was briefed on the province’s state of readiness for the results announcement.

KwaZulu-Natal's provincial matric results will be announced on Tuesday, 13 January 2026, at the Durban International Convention Centre. The announcement will be made jointly by Premier Thami Ntuli and MEC Hlomuka.

The department reassured stakeholders that extensive planning has gone into ensuring operational stability across public schools in the province.

“As a department we remain committed to ensuring stability, operational readiness and effective service delivery across all public schools,” said Hlomuka. “We reassure parents, learners, educators, teacher unions and stakeholders of a well-coordinated and successful start to the 2026 school year.”

The department said it will continue to monitor the delivery of learning materials and final preparations ahead of both the matric results release and the reopening of schools later this month.

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