Cape Town - As matric pupils across the country begin their National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, more than 10,000 pupils in the Western Cape will write their practical examinations on Wednesday and Thursday and need computers to do so.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Western Cape MEC for Education Debbie Schäfer said 9 032 pupils in the province will be completing their computer applications technology (CAT) practicals on Wednesday and 854 pupils will have to complete their information technology (IT) examination on Thursday.
She said that last year Eskom wreaked havoc with its blackouts across the county on these specific examinations and although load shedding remained a threat, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) had engaged Eskom regarding load shedding during the examination period.
“I urge Eskom to put contingency measures in place to avoid a repeat of last year’s disruption.
“Our matrics have been through enough this year – it is not fair to cause them more anxiety with blackouts,” Schäfer said.
She said the examination team will be monitoring the situation closely and a standard protocol was in place at school if a power outage should occur during the practical examinations.
Schäfer said if a scheduled power outage was underway, pupils needed to remain in the computer rooms until the power supply was restored.
Pupils may not communicate with one another during this time, and time lost during the power outage must be allowed as additional examination time.
“For an unscheduled power outage, if, after two hours, the power supply has not been restored, the examination must be rescheduled in consultation with the WCED’s examinations administration directorate.
“We also have standard procedures in place in case of computer breakdowns during an exam,” Schäfer said.
She wished all pupils the best before their examinations.
African News Agency (ANA)