Polokwane - Despite a tumultuous year for basic education in South Africa, the Limpopo Department of Education says it is all systems go for the matric exams that start next Monday.
According to Education MEC Dickson Masemola, 105 000 Grade 12 pupils will write their exams in the province.
"The department has put all the logistical arrangements in place for the grade 12 exams, and we will leave no stone unturned to ensure they are accident free and credible.
"We have 1 731 examination centres, which will accommodate 95 400 full-time candidates and 9 600 part-time candidates," Masemola said.
Vhembe district will accommodate the largest number of candidates, with 26 600 pupils. The Waterberg region has the smallest number, with only about 8 700 learners.
About 49 500 candidates were registered for mathematics and 39 600 for physical science.
Masemola said the department had already selected 4 897 markers who would be distributed among 20 marking centres, with the results expected on or around January 6 next year.
He hoped that the matric pass rate would improve from the alarming 48.9% the province achieved last year.
"We want to see our matric results improve by 16% this year to at least 65%.
"We are concerned that matric results contribute a lot to the future of our children and we encourage them to work hard in the remaining days so that they can perform better for a brighter future. We have done our best to support our learners and educators, and we believe our goal of having better results this year will be achieved," said Masemola.
Ronnie Morwatshehla, provincial chairperson of the South African Democratic Teachers Union - which had taken part in a three-week-long public servant wage strike in August - said teachers were ready for the exams, despite many not being able to complete their syllabuses before D-day.
"As Sadtu, we are optimistic that there will be a considerable improvement despite the pitfalls we had this year. Our teachers are more than ready to continue teaching until the last minute," he said.
