Province all set for final matric exams
On Monday grade 12 pupils across the country will sit for their matric examinations and the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) together with the department of education in the Chris Hani district held a prayer session at the Nonzwakazi Methodist Church circuit 302 in Mlungisi this week, ahead of the finals.
Pupils from various schools in the district, parents, teachers, congregational leaders and education department officials were all part of the day’s proceedings.
Chris Hani west senior education specialist Madoda Ndembe said the department had hopes of an 80% pass rate throughout the province.
“We must say as a department that 2022 was not an easy year.
“It was a year with its own challenges and in the previous years we were faced with the Covid19 pandemic,” Ndembe said.
“We hope the efforts we have put in will yield good results at the end. It is our wish as the department.
“We are tired of being at the bottom of the list. We want to be part of the mainstream schools that have improved their results.”
Ndembe said the department was ready to host the examinations and had concluded training for chief invigilators this week.
A computer applications technology paper 1 practical for the grade 12 national senior certificate (NSC) was written on Tuesday.
The final examinations are expected to conclude on December 7.
MEC for education in the province Fundile Gade said various strategies were implemented from the beginning of the academic year, preparing pupils to be fully ready for the NSC examinations.
“The department prides itself on conducting, managing and administering examinations and assessment with integrity and credibility over a number of years.
“The department is committed to protect this engraved culture of excellence in conducting credible examinations. However, we leave no space for complacency.
“This achievement has become the critical indicator for the department in its quest to deliver quality education.
“The NSC examination is the highest qualification in the basic education sector, a culmination of 12 to13 years of intensive teaching, learning and acquisition of worldchanging knowledge by young people,” he said.
Gade said the department was ready to host the final examinations for both the matric class of 2022 and the other grades.
He said the grade 12 NSC examinations would be conducted in 942 public schools, with 98,756 full-time pupils writing, along with 18,631 private candidates from 124 part-time centres.
“I am confident we are ready to deliver an incident-free examination, working together with teachers, pupils and community members.
“I wish all our pupils throughout the province good luck in their examinations.
“Also, l am confident we stand a good chance to exceed last year’s bachelor’s percentage. We have worked hard, despite difficult financial constraints, to sustain the upward trajectory the pupils and parents of the Eastern Cape deserve.”
The matric results will be released on January 19 by the national minister, and on January 20 by the MEC.