Technical fault may delay term‑two report cards for Gauteng learners

Public school learners across Gauteng may not receive their term‑two progress reports before schools close for the break on Friday, 26 June, after the Gauteng Department of Education reported technical difficulties affecting the system used to process learner information.

What went wrong

The department said the delay stems from technical challenges affecting access to the South African School Administration and Management System (SA‑SAMS). It linked the problem to the temporary unavailability of the Citrix environment that supports the system, which has limited some schools’ ability to access, capture and finalise learner data required for printing and issuing report cards.

Department response and apology

The Gauteng Department of Education issued a media statement on Wednesday, 24 June, ahead of the scheduled closure of schools for the second term. The statement included an apology to affected learners, parents and school communities for the delay in issuing report cards at some public ordinary schools across the province.

“On behalf of the Gauteng Department of Education, I extend my sincere apology to learners, parents and school staff affected by this delay. We understand the importance of report cards in tracking learner progress and planning for the academic term ahead,”

The statement attributed the remarks to Gauteng MEC for Education Lebogang Maile, who acknowledged the inconvenience and said the matter was receiving urgent attention.

Work to restore access

Maile clarified that SA‑SAMS is a national system administered by the Department of Basic Education and that provincial departments depend on its operational stability for learner administration and academic record processing. The department confirmed that system administrators and technicians are actively working to restore full functionality and normalise access.

“We are confident that the technical teams handling the matter will restore the system soon. We appreciate the patience shown by schools, learners and parents as this process is being resolved,”

Maile urged affected schools and parents to allow the technical process to be concluded so that report cards can be issued without compromising the integrity and accuracy of learner records. The department said it would continue to keep schools informed as progress is made.

Key dates

• Schools are scheduled to close for the second term on Friday, 26 June.
• Schools are scheduled to reopen on 21 July.