Cape Town - Amid the confusion and anxiety caused by the Covid-19 pandemic to the matric class of 2020, nearly 100 000 candidates will write their national senior certificate (NSC) exams in the Western Cape this month – a much larger group than would ordinarily write during the November session.
Education MEC Debbie Schäfer said there were 95 427 pupils set to write, compared with 64 465 for the same session last year.
Schäfer said the reason for the increase was that the May/June exam session could not take place due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and was instead combined with the November session.
“Of candidates writing this month, 54 741 are full-time matric learners. 10 544 part-time/repeat candidates, and 19 286 May/June senior certificate candidates will write in this session, as well as 10 856 learners who were due to write supplementary exams this year following the 2019 NSC exams,” Schäfer said.
She said mathematical literacy, which will be written on the 12th (Paper 1) and 16th (Paper 2) of November by 56 754 pupils, had the largest number of candidates.
Mafu Rakometsi, chief executive of the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training (Umalusi), said the council had conducted a thorough assessment of the readiness of the basic education system to manage and conduct the combined exams.
“Therefore, it was generally satisfied that all assessment bodies were ready to undertake the massive task despite Covid-19.”
Rakometsi reiterated Umalusi’s position regarding the mooted “trimming down” of question papers, saying while they were all concerned about the difficulties caused by Covid-19, “Umalusi does not advocate for the downgrading or trimming down of the quality of examinations”.
“In particular, tinkering with the content of question papers – we do not support that line of thinking,” he said.
The NSC exams are due to commence on Thursday and run until December 15. Results are expected to be released on February 23.
1/2 Good luck to the Matric Class of 2020! Nearly 100 000 candidates will write their NSC exams in the Western Cape this month – a much larger group than would ordinarily write during the November session.
Read the full statement here 👉 https://t.co/OpmIplYpSg pic.twitter.com/UJybDNfTxT
Parliament’s portfolio committee on basic education chairperson, Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba, said a lot of work had been done in the background to ensure Grade 12s were ready to sit for the final exams.
Mbinqo-Gigaba said the committee was assured by the Department of Basic Education and Umalusi that the Class of 2020 had covered the full spectrum of the curriculum.
“This means that this class will be just as equipped to enter the world after school as any other Grade 12s before them.”
“We further note that 1 058 699 candidates have registered for the exams. This is a mammoth task,” she said.
We would like to urge South Africans to support the Matric Class of 2020 ahead of final exams pic.twitter.com/nQi2Mxtoo7
— Dep. Basic Education (@DBE_SA) November 2, 2020
Cape Argus