By OBAKENG MAJE
21 October 2024- The president of Republic of South Africa (RSA), Cyril Ramaphosa said he wishes all Grade 12 learners well at this challenging and exciting time. Ramphosa said today was the start of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams.
He further said just over 880 000 candidates sat for this year’s matric exams. Ramaphosa added that these exams are the culmination of many years of hard work, perseverance and resilience, often in the face of difficult odds.
“The Class of 2024 entered Grade 8 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and have had to receive considerable learning support to overcome the resultant gaps in their learning. As a nation, we are proud of the learners who will be rewriting the matric exam this year, having taken advantage of the Department of Basic Education’s Second Chance Programme.
“Your determination to improve your academic prospects does you credit. It is a life lesson on the importance of not giving up.
Over the past few weeks, learners have been engrossed in study,” he said.
Ramaphosa said they have taken up opportunities for extra lessons, doing revision with their educators and attending the many learner support programmes being run by the provincial departments of education. He said providing learners with the necessary resources to enable them to achieve quality pass rates is a collaborative effort between the Department of Basic Education, provincial education authorities, school governing bodies and families of learners.
“I commend our nation’s educators for their commitment to our matriculants as they reach the end of their secondary school journey. At the annual National Teaching Awards ceremony earlier this month, I spoke of teachers as being like devoted gardeners, whose attention, guidance and encouragement nurtures our nation.
“The successes that the Class of 2024 will undoubtedly achieve will be in no small part due to the efforts of our country’s devoted teachers. All the necessary systems are in place to ensure the exam period goes smoothly,” said Ramaphosa.
He said the Department of Basic Education and the qualification standards authority Umalusi, have been hard at work auditing the more than 9,200 exam centres, appointing and vetting exam markers and approving question papers. Ramaphosa said these include adapted question papers for learners with special needs.
“The department has put stringent conditions in place to minimise the potential for question paper leaks, fraud and cheating. Additional invigilators have been appointed, some examination centres will employ CCTV and security has been stepped up at exam venues to minimise disruptions.
“I want to thank all the matric exam candidates across the country who have signed the NSC Examination Code of Conduct. This commits them to academic honesty during the exam. The annual matric exam period is a period to reflect on the scale of the efforts to absorb these young people into economic activity once they have attained the results they have worked so hard for,” he said.
The Guardian 