Covid-19: Matric rewrite exams postponed until November

The Department of Basic Education has postponed the May/June Amended Senior Certificate (old matric) and National Senior Certificate examinations.

These are the matric examinations which were to be written by more than 350 000 part-time candidates, including those who did not meet the pass requirements in the 2019 final exams, as well as those who sought to rewrite to improve their marks.

Also read: ‘I am always driven to find ways to solve problems using technology, it’s who I am’ – Hains

The Director-General of the Department of Basic Education Mathanzima Mweli informed the heads of the provincial education departments of the decision to postpone the exams.

Also read: Covid-19 Lockdown: Parenting 101 Tip 7 – develop good work ethic

Mweli said the early closure of schools and extended lockdown resulted in a disruption to schooling, and hence the writing of the May/June 2020 examinations had to be re-scheduled.

The May/June 2020 examinations were scheduled to start on May 4 and conclude on June 26.

“At the head of education committee meeting on April 10 it was agreed that the May/June examinations should be merged with the November 2020 examinations,” he said.

Can you please also confirm if/that students registered for the MEO are also included under the NSC exam postponement? The heading “…Rewrite Matric Examinations” is raising questions amongst them.

— PerfectMathSA (@perfectmathsa) April 18, 2020

“The details regarding the merged June and November examinations will be communicated.

“Candidates will be informed regarding registration, examination centres and time-tables.”

The Second Chance Matric Support Programme on the website is still available to assist learners, especially those who had been studying independently as part-time candidates.

Dear reader,

As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.