Some consolation to matric pupils on the eve of the National Senior Certificate examinations. Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says exams will be scheduled around load-shedding.
The 2022 exams come amid rolling blackouts, sparking fears of possible interruptions. Motshekga briefed the media on the department’s readiness. Learners and parents have been assured that the department is talking to Eskom.
Loadshedding
Over 755 000 full-time, and around 167 000 part-time grade 12 learners will start writing their final exams on Monday. With the lingering impact of Covid-19 on teaching and learning, coupled with rolling blackouts, nerves are frazzled.
Teachers, parents and pupils dread power outages and interruptions, and possible re-writes.
The basic Education minister says contingency measures have been put in place, including generators.
“We will work around load shedding, that is what we have been saying. To get communication from Eskom. It’s us working around load shedding so in some instances, the paper will be written earlier to make sure by the time there’s load shedding, learners would have written,” says Motshekga.
Exam interruption
So far only one exam at one school has been interrupted due to load-shedding. As a result, 14 learners will have to re-write the Computer Application Technology exam in December.
In one centre, Hillview Secondary School in the Tshwane West District in Gauteng, had generators and the power went and came back and destroyed all the computers and the work was lost,” says Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga.
Learners will sit for English first language on Monday, while the final results are expected to be announced on the 19th of January.
The Department of Basic Education says it is not anticipating any disruptions of the matric exams by teachers. The department says it met unions to iron out issues that threatened to disrupt exams.
