Pretoria - The matric preliminary exams, initially scheduled to start next week Friday, have been postponed in Gauteng.
The province has postponed the examinations to allow pupils to catch up on school time lost due to the public service strike. Schools have been adversely affected by the strike which is in its eighth day today.
The Gauteng Department of Education has decided to twin the exams with a catch up programme.
"The [department] has regrettably taken a decision to postpone the preliminary examinations for two weeks. The examinations were originally scheduled to start on 3 September 2010 and will now be written in the afternoons while catch up programmes take place in the mornings," Charles Phahlane departmental spokesperson said on Wednesday.
"We understand and empathise with the stress which our matriculants and their parents are experiencing at this crucial stage of their school careers," he added.
He urged learners to continue to study together with their classmates using the study guides distributed to them. These study guides are also available on www.thutong.gov.za or www.education.gpg.gov.za. SABC public service radio stations are also running programmes focusing on matric examinations.
Department of Basic Education spokesperson Granville Whittle told BuaNews they were waiting to hear from the other provinces about their intentions regarding the preliminary exams.
"Provinces make their own assessment and decide on whether to continue or not with the examinations," he said.
KwaZulu-Natal Education Department spokesperson Mbali Thusi told BuaNews that at the moment the department was not considered postponing the exams. "Currently, our learners are busy preparing themselves for the exams," she said.
