Pretoria – A total of 48 954 full-time candidates in the Western Cape have registered for the 2013 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams.
This, according to the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), is 3 393 more full-time candidates than last year.
There are only 123 days to go before the start of the 2013 matric exams.
The Western Cape government says it would ensure that as many of these candidates write and pass their NSC, and that it has arranged for additional tutoring and lessons at some schools in order to help improve individual school and learner results.
One such school visited by the Western Cape MEC for Education, Donald Grant, is Esangweni Secondary in Khayelitsha.
“This morning, I visited the school to meet the learners and their tutors taking part in the 2013 Winter School programme,” he said.
This year, 216 high schools in the province will be participating in Grade 12 winter school programmes over the June/July holiday period.
Many of the programmes on offer will be taught by tutors selected by the WCED.
In some schools, curriculum advisors will support and assist individual school programmes.
The WCED has also arranged for additional resource materials to be developed to complement the lessons being presented.
The Winter School programme will complement existing programmes at high schools in order to improve performance, particularly at underperforming schools.
The Western Cape government has in a period of four years managed to reduce the number of underperforming schools progressively from 85 schools in 2009 to 26 in 2012.
In 2013, the department wants to reduce the number even further.
“To this end, and in the interests of the learners at these schools, we will continue to implement our plan, which includes a targeted and sustained strategy to support underperforming and struggling schools,” said Education Department spokesperson Bronagh Casey. – SAnews.gov.za
