Basic Education Minister, Siviwe Gwarube has expressed her gratitude to the people involved in the delivery of successful 2024 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.
Gwarube commended the teachers, officials, parents and all stakeholders for ensuring smooth and credible matric examinations, which commenced on 21 October with the English Language paper.
“Your dedication and hard work have been instrumental in ensuring a smooth and credible examination process. Together, we are building an education system that upholds the values of fairness, integrity, and excellence,” Gwarube said.
Briefing the media on Wednesday, ahead of the official conclusion of the exams on Thursday, Gwarube said despite some challenges, the overall administration of the exams has been smooth, with minimal irregularities, “thanks to the collective efforts of our dedicated educators, administrators, and learners themselves”.
Gwarube said the administration of the exams highlighted both triumphs and areas for improvement.
She said stringent monitoring ensured a fair process, with high-risk examination centres closely supervised, with a minimum of 70% of centres monitored during each session.
“This robust system helped us maintain the integrity of the exams, even in the face of external disruptions,” Gwarube said.
Challenges included protest actions in some parts of the country, including Jan Kempdorp, Gert Sibande, and Limpopo, as well as inclement weather in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga, which disrupted the exams for several learners.
A total of 319 learners in Eastern Cape were unable to write due to flooding. However, the Minister assured contingency plans were in place to allow the learners to rewrite their exams.
“We must acknowledge the violent incidents that overshadowed the exam period in parts of the country. In the Eastern Cape, five learners were gang raped while preparing for their exams at a local house. Just weeks later, another female learner was gang raped on 13 November also in the Eastern Cape.
“These heinous acts are a tragic reminder of the dangers that many learners face, especially young girls. As we observe the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, let these incidents serve as a rallying call to all South Africans to stand against such barbaric acts.
“Schools and communities must be places of safety, not spaces of fear, violence and abuse,” Gwarube said.
She urged matriculants to celebrate the end of exams responsibly and refrain from alcohol abuse.
“I urge matriculants to refrain from alcohol abuse during "pens down" events or matric rage parties. These moments should be a celebration of achievement, not a risk to life and safety,” Gwarube said.
Over 180 marking centres set up across the country
With the conclusion of the writing of the exams, the Minister said the focus will now shift to the marking process.
The department has set up 181 marking centres across the country, all of which have been audited and deemed ready.
“All marking centres will open on 27 November 2024 with the entire process involving over 50 000 markers. To ensure consistency and fairness, the department has already conducted 60 of the 164 planned Marking Standardisation Meetings (MSMs), during which marking guidelines are reviewed and finalised.
“This rigorous process will help us deliver accurate and reliable results, which are expected to be released on 13 January 2025, with provincial education departments releasing on 14 January 2025,” the Minister announced.
Gwarube noted that significant emphasis has been placed on food safety at marking centres, with online workshops on food handling protocols currently being conducted for Examination Managers, Marking Centre Managers and School Principals, to prevent any contamination.
She said that ensuring a clean and continuous water supply and adequate hydration in high-temperature areas was integral to the department’s preparations.
“These measures tie into a broader campaign on food safety across schools. Following recent incidents involving food-borne illnesses linked to agricultural-grade pesticides such as organophosphates, the Director-General has issued a circular to all schools advising against the use and storage of such chemicals on school premises.
“We have also advised school principals to only allow onto school premises vendors and/or food items bought from vendors who are compliant with applicable laws. This heightened awareness and regulation aims to protect learners and staff from preventable health hazards,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za
