Teachers’ unions in the Eastern Cape have expressed dissatisfaction with the Department of Basic Education’s decision to allow matriculants diagnosed with COVID-19 to write their exams.
The department had initially said exams would be deferred to June next year for learners who test positive for the coronavirus.
The National Professional Teacher’s Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa), provincial secretary, Loyiso Mbinda, says the revised protocols have caught some schools off-guard.
“In relation to the writing of Grade 12 exams by learners that have tested positive for coronavirus, all along the Department of Education has pronounced earlier on that such learners will be able to write only in June next year. But, on the verge of the beginning of the matric exams, a media release indicated that they should write on the 5th [of November] as well. There were no preparations that were done by schools in that regard especially in the light of the second wave,” explains Mbinda.
In the video below, Minister Motshekga confirms COVID-19 positive matric students will write exams:
Earlier, some parents in Limpopo had raised concerns that the regulation around children with COVID-19 being only allowed to complete their matric next year will negatively affect learners.
