Twenty five days from today, 143 647 grade 12 pupils across the Gauteng province will begin their year-end National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.
According to the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) spokesperson, Phumla Sekhonyane “This will be a trying time for them, as the outcome of these important exams will determine their future plans for the years to come.
“We have this year registered a total of 101 265 full time candidates and 42 382 part time candidates. These candidates will be writing their exams in 928 centres across all our 15 Districts in Gauteng.
“We have appointed 8 090 markers and 4 789 invigilators in 11 marking centres across the province.
“Preparations to ensure that these exams run smoothly can be a huge logistical nightmare. We however, want to assure the people of Gauteng that we are ready as a province and it will be all systems go come the 27 October when the exams commence.
“We have also done everything possible to ensure that our pupils have been given the best possible chance to do well in these exams.
“As a province we have high expectations for every learner to succeed. As part of our final push strategy to ensure the preparedness of learners for these exams, we have established Matric Revision Camps across the province in areas such as Magaliesburg, Hammanskraal and Vanderbijlpark .
“These camps will provide opportunities for intensified study and drill sessions aimed at increased content coverage as well as intensified exam practice.”
Matric Camps will also focus on the following two goals:
• Covering key topics that have not been sufficiently covered during the year
• Drilling pupils in possible exam questions
“We have divided these camps into three categories, High Risk Learners Camps, Residential Matric Camps and Walk-In Camps,” Sekhonyane added.
The High Risk Learners Camp will be implemented across the province from the 6 to 10 October. A total of 5 318 learners from all 15 districts will be bussed to 15 camps. These are pupils who have been identified as performing below set standards by the department.
From the 13 to 24 October will accommodate 13 712 pupils in 19 Residential Camps across all 15 districts.
Sekhonyane continued “We also have Walk in Camps in the Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni areas that will accommodate 40 327 learners in 108 sites.
Matric revision camps have been running since the beginning of the year during Saturdays and school holidays to sustain the improved Grade 12 performance over the past years.
As part of measures to support learners during this period, the Department has a standing agreement with Child line to assist pupils who find themselves in stressful situations as a result of pressure they might experience from these exams. Learners can phone Child line on 08000 55 555 for counselling assistance.
“We are determined to continuously improve the quality of public education in Gauteng and build an education system that can compete internationally,” she said.
“The results of these exams will be released on the 6 January 2015 at schools and will give us a clear indication on how we are doing as we aim to compete on an international scale especially in maths, science and technology.
“We would like to wish all our Grade 12 learners the best of luck and assure them that they have our full support. We are saying to them, when combining inspiration and hard work, the reward is always fulfilling.”
