WHILE learners from the Alberton Matric Project (AMP) are redoing some of their standard benchmark assessments (SBAs), the results for a similar evening school in the area have been released.
One learner from that evening school got her results, clearly indicating seven distinctions in seven subjects. Meanwhile, learners and parents of AMP where notified that the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) instructed them that learners are not allowed to have more than five subjects in a year.
This clearly contradicts the requirements the GDE has laid out to AMP and the second evening school in question.
This new ruling, of which AMP was made aware on January 5, not only means that about 150 learners of the class of 2016 at AMP did not get their results, but they have to redo some SBAs. Their lives are therefore on hold until their marks are released, hopefully by the end of February.
The RECORD was notified about a meeting on Saturday, January 28 between the management at the part-time study centre in Randhart and the parents and learners who will be writing their matric at AMP in 2017.
The meeting room was filled with concerned parents and learners who needed clarity on how the 2016 problem will influence the class of 2017.
Also Read: Alberton Matric Project parents want answers
Again, management at the Randhart part-time study centre stressed that for the past four to five years the project had no problems and that, going forward, since the announcement on January 5, things will be difficult.
“With the current state of affairs, we are working closely with the GDE to solve the problems, get results out for the class of 2016 and to find answers for the way forward,” he told parents and learners.
Number of subjects
“When evening schools rolled out a couple of years ago, with the aim to give those who could not do their matric through the normal schooling process a second chance, the Government Gazette of July 6, 2007 stated that part-time students – described as a candidate not enrolled on a full-time basis at a school – may enrol for any number of subjects.
“This gazetted noticed has not been amended since and the reason for the problem at AMP cannot be explained,” he continued.
A notice in the Government Gazette of August 11, 2014, described the subject choice, where it handles adult learners aged 18 to 21 who can no longer be accommodated at a school, enrolling at places like AMP and the requirements they have to meet as follows: (2) Learners for the Senior Certificate may register for any number of subjects.”
Again the RECORD could not find an amendment to this gazetted notice.
Also Read: No results are forthcoming
In the National Policy of Basic Education published in 2013 (page 47) it states: “A part-time candidate in the FET phase is a candidate who enrolled at an institution that does not offer tuition on a full-time basis and may enrol for any number of subjects. Part-time candidates will continue to exist until such a date as determined by the Minister of Basic Education.”
During the meeting it was also mentioned that one of the teachers involved in the project, who also teaches at Marais Viljoen, was awarded by the GDE for being the best teacher in her subject for the fifth year and also a moderator for her subject. “Now why would she handle learners of the project any different from her learners in a class at Marais Viljoen?” a parent asked as a matter of fact.
Nothing to hide
“Our paperwork is in order. I have nothing to hide. We followed prescribed rules and regulations during the 2016 exams like every year before that. Papers were taken in, according to procedure, sealed and delivered to the GDE, where the GDE checked it to verify that everything was in order. Then the GDE signed off on those papers received as proof that papers were received in good order. We have proof of that. However, the Gauteng Department of Education’s acting spokesperson, Oupa Bodibe, said in an interview on January 17 that Marais Viljoen (or then AMP), did not hand in all the papers. There is proof that these papers were handed in on time.
“I don’t know how to explain that since normal procedure, like in past years, were clearly followed by AMP,” he said.
Is it do-able?
“In the past we had a student from a school for children with learning problems and he passed his matric at APM with flying colours. He is now in his second year as a law student and is at the top of his class. As a matter of fact, there is also a girl who passed matric through AMP, in her final year as a law student, also at the top of her class.
“Our intentions are clear – we are here to help those who otherwise would not have a matric certificate,” he stated.
The new ruling again infringes on learners’ futures.
Speaking to some parents after the meeting, they made it clear that this new regulation whereby learners are only allowed to take four or five subjects in one year and then the remaining three or two in a following year, rob their children of another year of their lives. “They now need to do matric in 18 months or two years and will not be able to enter into any tertiary institution before 2019,” a concerned mother said.
“If my child can cope with six or seven subjects in one year, why can’t he have the choice to do so? Why do we have to split it into two years?” another parent asked.
Two learners indicated that they just want to finish their matric and get on with their lives.
For those enrolled for 2017, it means a matric certificate in 2018 and then the option to further their studies only in 2019.
The RECORD forwarded this article, with a request to clarify the instruction that learners may not enrol for more than five subjects per year, announced to AMP on January 5, 2015 with the opposite of that ruling gazetted to the GDE on Sunday, January 29 for their urgent attention when they open for business on Monday morning, and is awaiting feedback.
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