Africa-Press – South-Africa. Basic Education Department Minister Angie Motshekga is confident this year’s matric exams will go off smoothly despite school challenges after the tumultuous Covid-19 pandemic.
“For the first time since 2020 our learners went back to school without having to wear masks or observe social distancing. We [were] prepared for a return to full-time daily timetabling as part of the recovery plan put in place to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on the schooling system,” Motshekga said at a briefing on Sunday.
Addressing the media on the readiness of the Nation Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, Motshekga said the department had seen a gradual increase in the number of full-time enrolments this year.
“All learners sitting for the NSC examinations and their parents have signed a commitment agreement to maintain honesty and not to participate in irregularities during the writing of examinations. This binds the learners and parents to follow the rules relating to the examinations,” Motshekga said.
In recent weeks, the department had to deal with cases where some schools had denied pregnant pupils the right to sit for the NSC exams, she told reporters.
However, she said the national policy on the prevention and management of learner pregnancy stated that barring a pupil from school because they were pregnant was discriminatory.
“A learner who is pregnant shall be allowed to sit for national examinations if her health condition permits,” Motshekga said.
Class of 2022
This year’s Grade 12s bore the brunt of the impact of Covid-19 as they were in Grade 10 when the pandemic hit, resulting in major academic disruptions.
They had been subjected to a trimmed curriculum and amended assessment programme over the past two years.
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