South Africa's Department of Basic Education is not planning to introduce 'grade 13' in high schools
IN SHORT: In South Africa, students write national school-leaving exams in grade 12, the final year of high school. However, according to some social media posts, the basic education department plans to introduce an extra year, grade 13. This is not true, and the department has also denied it.
Several Facebook posts claim that South Africa's Department of Basic Education plans to add a 13th year for high school students.
The final year of high school is grade 12, commonly called matric, when students write the national school-leaving exams.
One post, dated 23 January 2025, reads: "GOOD NEWS SOUTH AFRICA!! From 1 Jan 2026 basic education will add another grade after grade 12 there will be grade 13 ,high school will be now be from Grade 8/13 - Matric 2025 will be doing Grade 13 next year ,this Indicates that matric 2025 will be the first class to attend Grade 13."
More posts making the same claim can be found here, here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But is this true? We checked.
Department denies claim
It seems unlikely that the government would make this kind of decision and implement it so soon after making it. Such a move would have to be tabled and debated in parliament. It would also require public hearings and written submissions from interested parties in and outside the education sector.
There are also no announcements about this on the department's official website and social media accounts. This is a major red flag.
On 22 February, the basic education department denied the claim that it was planning to introduce grade 13 in 2026.
"Please be wary of fake news! There are no plans to add #Grade13 to the South African schooling system. Official announcements by the Department of Basic Education are published on the DBE's official communication platforms," the department wrote on its X account.
More posts making the false claim can be found here, here, here and here.
