Matriculation students will no longer write their June exam, but only the final exam in December.
Basic Education Minister Angie Matshekga said on Monday morning at a media conference in Rustenburg, North West, that the regulations on this would be published in the Government Gazette .
Gr. 12 and 7 pupils would initially have returned to school today (Monday), but it was postponed by Motshekga on Sunday because many schools are not ready yet.
According to Motshekga, her department received many inquiries regarding the matric exam.
“It is clear that there is a lot of anxiety about this matter and that we also had to publish it in the Government Gazette as it is a very sensitive issue in the basic education system,” she says.
“The May / June examinations for candidates registered for the Senior Certificate and the National Senior Certificate will be written in November and December 2020, unless there are unforeseen circumstances. In that case, as Minister, I will make the necessary decisions. “
Motshekga says schools have already lost an entire quarter to the Covid 19 pandemic and are likely to lose even more days.
“That is why we had to be innovative in the way we would get the school program back on track. For us to make up for the lost teaching and learning time, we had to redesign the school system, which led to the adjustment of school timetables and the revision of the curriculum under the National Education Policy Act. “
This, according to Motshekga, empowered her as a minister to decide on a national policy for curriculum framework, key syllabuses and an education program.
“A curriculum workflow, which consists of curriculum experts from the department and from outside, constantly manages this aspect of the curriculum redesign,” says Motshekga.
“Because the basic education requirements are not static, we will always use the opportunity to make the necessary adjustments, if necessary.”
According to her, the state of restriction has affected many lives on many levels.
“Families have been traumatized, people have lost their jobs and the school system has come to a standstill.”
She says the department has observed that schools are working hard to adapt their physical environment – from staff rooms and classrooms to playgrounds.
“It’s not a matter of choice. All of us must meet the requirements for a healthy distance regarding health and safety requirements. “
