DURBAN - THE Department of Basic Education (DBE) has said matric marking went smoothly across the country despite some Covid-19 cases being reported.
Speaking to The Mercury yesterday, DBE spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the marking of the 2021 National Senior Certificate exam scripts would be concluded today.
He said some challenges were experienced during the marking process, but were dealt with.
“We experienced some Covid-19 cases, however we had replacements who could come in for the people who tested positive.
“We had replacement workers and an incident in the Free State, but we managed to resolve it by getting all the scripts that were damaged and lost,” said Mhlanga.
In the Free State incident, a marking centre had its roof blown off during a storm and it was feared that some of the exam scripts had been lost. However the department said all scripts were recovered.
Dr Rufus Poliah, chief director for Public Examinations and National Assessments at the DBE, praised the markers and staff at the centre in a statement yesterday.
“If it were not for the sacrifice and quick thinking of the markers and the staff, the damage could have been worse. They worked hard to save the scripts and proceeded to work around the clock to locate the scripts which were initially reported to be missing in the chaos that happened during the storm,” he said.
The marking centre was moved to a new location in Bloemfontein.
Provincial Secretary of the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union, Nomarashiya Caluza, said they were pleased with how the marking process was undertaken.
“It went very well. The biggest hurdle was Covid-19 but we were able to overcome it,” she said.
Caluza added that a lot of preparation went into ensuring that the marking went smoothly, regardless of the rise in Covid-19 cases. She added that there was room for improvement in the Covid-19 testing procedure of their members, which would allow for a smoother transition in the future.
“More unity is required between the department and the unions, particularly when it comes to testing of individuals involved in the process.”
THE MERCURY