​Rofhiwa Marubini 
In just three days, 1 058 699 Grade 12 students will be sitting for their National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination under strict COVID-19 regulations.
The Basic Education Department has issued a protocol on the writing of the exams in compliance with the COVID-19 requirements. 
The protocol states that candidates who miss the writing of certain papers due to testing positive for COVID-19, should automatically be registered for the subjects that they have missed, to write during the May/June 2021 examinations.
Candidates who tested positive for COVID-19 and have recovered as confirmed by a COVID-19 test report, may continue with the writing of the remaining subjects on the timetable.
However, candidates who decide not to continue with the writing of the remaining subjects should be accommodated in the May/June 2021 examinations.
The protocol further states that all examination centres across assessment bodies are required to comply with State of Disaster Regulations as announced by the President of the Republic of South Africa.
Umalusi officials will be deployed to monitor the conduct of examinations and marking of scripts to ensure strict adherence to health and safety protocols for COVID-19.
The 1 058 699 students include full-time and part-time candidates, as well as those candidates who were supposed to have written examinations in June this year, which were cancelled due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
The series of exams will start with the English First Additional Language Paper 1 on Thursday and conclude with the Visual Arts and Agricultural Management Practices papers. 
The results are expected to be released on 23 February 2021.