WITHIN a few weeks the National Senior Certificate 2021 finals will kick off.
Given the Covid-19 disruptions to the academic year, the exams will start later than the previous years. This is to ensure there is enough time for teaching and learning.
The examinations were initially scheduled to start on November 1. This was recently amended to October 27 due to the Municipal elections which will take place on November 1.
In a statement the Department of Basic Education said English (Home Language, First Additional Language and Second Additional Language), Paper 1 Business Studies and Non-Official Language Paper 1 would be written on October 27 and 28.
According to the revised time table, the finals will still wrap up on December 7.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) and teacher unions are confident that both teachers and pupils have done their best to prepare, given the circumstances.
Elijah Mhlanga, the spokesperson for the DBE, said despite the recent disruptions to schooling – like the spike in infections among pupils – the plan was still on track.
“It is all systems go for the final Grade 12 examinations. No changes have taken place as we do not believe that Covid-19 will disrupt the examinations,” he said.
In recent weeks, schools have become a point of concern as Covid-19 infections have been widely reported at different institutions.
Sihle Zikalala, the premier in KwaZulu-Natal, said in a recent address that more than 100 schools had reported clusters in their school settings and more than 800 learners and teachers were affected.
Even with the uncertainty of such infection rates at schools, Mhlanga was confident that their matric planning systems would prevail.
“We have recently successfully administered matric examinations nationally during the pandemic and the system encountered no challenges that it could not overcome.
“That has worked as a test to see the readiness of the system. In 2020, the final Grade 12 exams took place during the second wave and the system managed quite well. The experience will be useful this time around,” he said.
With this virus still largely affecting adults more seriously, marking centres would also be a point of concern. But Mhlanga said recent and past experience indicated that it was manageable.
“In the marking process of the May/June exams, there was no incident. Also, marking for the 2020 exams went well despite the fears and anxiety but the commitment and dedication of markers saw the process through on schedule and in some cases, they finished earlier than planned. The experience of the past two matric examinations will assist a great deal.”
Nomusa Cembi, the spokesperson for the South African Democratic Teachers Union, said with so many disruptions this year it may have an impact on the readiness of the learners, mentally.
“We know schools have tried their best to ensure that they complete the syllabus. Learners in Grade 12 were subjected to extra classes in the mornings, afternoons and on weekends to ensure they covered the syllabus.
“That puts a lot of pressure on both the learners and the teachers. We cannot expect the same results as the previous years because of what has happened, but we hope for the best.
“We commend both the learners and the teachers, who have subjected themselves to going the extra mile by sacrificing their mornings, weekends and holidays in order to complete the syllabus,” said Cembi.
Cynthia Barnes, the spokesperson for the National Teachers’ Union, said despite the recent challenges, teachers have done their best.
“This has been a challenging time. We are very sorry that some learners have passed on due to Covid-19. We are certain that teachers have done their best to assist learners,” said Barned.
She said the union often visited the marking centres to monitor that protocols and regulations are being followed.
“If it happens that some of them are not followed, you simply say the marking centre must be closed. But in most cases, we find that everything is in order.
“We always ask that the Department of Education to put in all the necessary protocols, and for those who are at the centres, to follow these protocols. This is how we made it through previously.”