THREE RIVERS – No cheating, no shortcuts, and no excuses!
That message resonated with hundreds of Vaal matriculants as they signed a pledge to uphold honesty and integrity ahead of their final examinations.
The Class of 2026 gathered at Riverside High School on October 9 for a Pledge Signing Ceremony to encourage learners to write their National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations with honesty, discipline, and confidence.
The event drew education officials, dignitaries, Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile, and Deputy Minister of Education Dr Regina Mhaule.
The ceremony served as a reminder that passing matric should never come at the expense of integrity.
Emfuleni Local Municipality Mayor Hassan Mako welcomed the learners and reminded them of the Vaal’s painful history, urging them to become the generation that will take the region and the country forward.
“Mine is to welcome you to a municipality in the region where blood was shed when the people were massacred on the 21st of March 1960 and in 1992, when the apartheid regime butchered men and women.
“It is the Class of 2026 that can make the Vaal great again. The Class of 2026 has a responsibility to lead us into a new struggle.
“As and when you sign this pledge, remember you are not only doing this for yourselves, but you are doing it for the country,” he said.
Chief Director for Examinations and Assessment Nadine Pote explained that the gathering officially marked the launch of the 2026 NSC examination season. She reminded learners that signing the pledge was more than just putting pen to paper.
“As you go into the examination room, you are fully aware of all the rules that will guide you. The signing is more than a signature. It is your personal commitment to approach your examination with the integrity it requires,” she said.
A moving candlelight ceremony added a moment of reflection to the gathering.
Delivering the keynote address, Maile urged the learners to embrace hard work, discipline, honesty, and accountability as they prepared to write their final examinations. He emphasised that success must never come through cheating, and that the ethical values practised in the examination room will shape society in the future
