TIME’S UP. While South Africa holds its breath for Monday’s matric results, the real test is whether these scores will HIDE the crisis brewing in our classrooms.
Minister Siviwe Gwarube will stand before the nation on January 12, 2026, to deliver the National Senior Certificate verdict. But behind the polished statistics, parents are terrified. Are these results a true measure of learning, or a POLITICAL SCORE for a failing system?
Daily Maverick’s quiz, drawn from REAL PAST EXAM PAPERS, isn’t just a game. It’s a shocking glimpse into what our children are supposedly mastering—or failing to learn. The quiz’s bite-sized questions lay bare the curriculum our futures depend on. SEE IF YOU CAN EVEN PASS.
Who benefits from a glowing headline? The officials in power. Who stays silent? The students left unprepared for a collapsing job market. Every “improved” pass rate masks a deeper disaster of resources, quality, and betrayal.
We are handing our children’s futures to a broken machine designed to produce certificates, not competence.
The answers are in. The system is failing. And on Monday, they’ll expect you to celebrate it.
Edited for Kayitsi.com



