Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has marked a 40-day countdown until the final 2022 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams.
Education MEC David Maynier said the department was well prepared and has gone to great lengths to ensure all candidates in the province have a chance at succeeding.
Maynier said the issue of load shedding was particularly concerning as matric candidates head into what could be regarded as one of the most stressful times of their young adult lives.
“Once again, we approach the exam period having to contend with load shedding. This is extremely disappointing and is understandably causing concern for our learners. We will do everything we can to prevent load shedding from compromising the integrity of the matric exams in the Western Cape,” Maynier said.
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) and the Federation of Associations of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (Fedsas) both expressed concern about the impact ongoing load shedding would have on the matric class of 2022.
Sadtu spokesperson Nomusa Cembi said the matric class had already been working from a disadvantage, brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
She added:
Cembi said while teachers had done their best to prepare pupils for the exams, load shedding would have a negative effect on their preparation, especially when studying at home.
Sharing Sadtu’s concerns over load shedding, Fedsas CEO Jaco Deacon pinpointed the need for provincial education departments to take stock of the measures they have in place to mitigate disruptions for pupils, with a particular focus on disadvantaged schools.
The education department also emphasised the importance of the psycho-social aspect of ensuring a candidate’s success.
A statement from the department read:
Maynier said contingency measures were being put in place to ensure every aspect of the examination process could continue, from the printing of papers to the marking of scripts.
“We call on Eskom and our local government partners to assist us in making sure that load shedding will not prevent our learners from achieving their best possible results in these exams,” the statement said.
Learners struggling to cope with the pressure are encouraged to approach their teacher for help, or to contact the Safe Schools hotline on 0800 45 46 47 (toll free).
Resources for Grade 12 pupils are available here: https://wcedeportal.co.za/resources-tosupport-grade-12-learning-and-teaching.
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