Vacancies

MEC urges Grade 12 learners to do their best in exams

MEC of Education has urged grade 12 learners to remain focus and to do their best in the upcoming National Senior Certificate examinations.  The MEC was speaking at the press conference on the state of readiness of the department to conduct the 2012 NSC examinations. “We have braved some of the difficult times recently as a department and both our learners and teachers showed their dedications and hard-work to soldier on. I am confident that our learners will do us proud and I wish them the best of luck and that they should remain focus and do their best.

We have pulled all our resources together to make sure that our grade 12 learners, not only in the areas affected by the protests but the entire province, are ready for the examinations. We have turned a corner and beginning to see positive prospects, “said MEC Cjiekela.

More than 9 200 Grade 12 learners will be sitting down for the NSC examinations. There will be 134 examination centres across the province.

Examinations will start on 22 October with English Home Language and English First Additional Language P1. Accounting, Computer Applications Technology and Physical Science will be written during the first week of the exams. 

MEC Cjiekela also stressed that monitoring measures at examination centres will be tightened up.

“Our NSC question papers are being packed under strict security with a newly acquired packing machine to ensure minimal human contact. All our Chief Invigilators and monitors have been through intense training to ensure they remain vigilant and maintain high level of professionalism in conducting the examinations,” said Cjiekella. 

Marking will take place at three marking venues in Kimberley, commencing on 01 December until 14 December 2012.  National Department of Basic Education, Umalusi and the provincial department will be monitoring the marking sessions. The matric results are expected to be announced first week of January.

As a result of this social unrest, a lot of teaching time was lost. The department has since developed and implemented recovery plan for the affected schools particularly in the John Taolo Gaetsewe district.

Part of the plan is that every teacher is expected to have a recovery plan, clearly mapping a route to ensure that the curriculum outcomes are achieved by the end of the year.  Each of the affected schools, the circuits and the district have a recovery plan to counter the effects that the service delivery protest had on teaching and learning time.

More than 380 grade 12 learners have been participating in special school camps which focused on curriculum coverage and school based assessment.

This represents nearly a 90 percent participation of the registered roll of grade 12 learners from the affected areas.

Due to the high level of intimidation of learners and their families, the department only registered 90 percent participation of learners in these camps.

Learners who did not attend the special camps were encouraged to attend the Spring schools in the district. Subject advisors and specialists were deployed to offer tutorial lessons from the spring schools.

The department has also launched a catch-up plan to include all learners from Grades 1 to 11, over and above the plan currently underway to assist the grade 12 learners in the affected areas.

An adapted work schedule to all schools in all subjects was also developed.

The provincial subject advisors have been targeted to offer tutorial lessons at the affected schools and will identify key content areas per subject for focus in all interventions.

Weekend classes

As part of intensifying the catch up plan, four weekend classes were conducts during the August month for learners in the affected areas. A total of 1000 learners attended these weekend classes.

Subjects which were covered include: Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, History, Geography, Agric, Accounting, Economics and Business Studies.

About 19 high schools in the affected areas have been receiving tutorial lessons on the telematics platform.

Four spring school centres were established for this exercise. Subject specialists and subject advisors have been deployed to teach at these centres.

Addition teacher support was provided through the Sangari programme for 10 schools in the Siyanda district and 17 schools in the John Taolo Gaetsewe district municipality.

The Sangari programme provided additional 4 teachers in physical sciences and life science to assist at one of the camps.

Special awareness campaign in local newspapers and community radio stations alerting parents and learners of various issues including the study methods and exam techniques was also carried out.