‘No, grade 13 is not coming’: Education department debunks viral claim

Fake

Cape Town – The Department of Basic Education has dismissed claims circulating online that South Africa will introduce Grade 13 from 2026.

The department labelled the reports as fake news and urged the public to verify information from official sources.

“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 said. 

Social media users, including TikToker @garfieldzars, spread the rumour, which gained traction despite being untrue.

 

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A post shared by Garfield Zar (@garfieldzars)

The department emphasised the dangers of misinformation and warned against believing unverified sources.

“With misinformation and disinformation at an all-time high, it is important to tell the difference between legitimate sources of information and those who peddle lies to increase engagement on their pages.”

@garfieldzars later clarified that his post was a joke and acknowledged that the introduction of Grade 13 was unrealistic.

 

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A post shared by Garfield Zar (@garfieldzars)

“I know there is no Grade 13 coming. I just made the video because I thought it was funny. Obviously, there isn’t going to be a Grade 13. I am not an idiot.

“For there to be a Grade 13 next year, it would mean that all the matriculants of this year aren’t able to go into university next year, which means there won’t be any first-year students at any university,” he said.

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