Disruption of matric exams condemned

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

The Department of Basic Education has strongly condemned the timing of the Black Monday protest which resulted in disruptions of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.

The protests, organised by AfriForum, resulted in major traffic congestion in a number of areas and led to learners being unable to get to their examination venues on time.

The department said the disruptions led to unnecessary increased anxiety during an already stressful period for matriculants.

Contingency mechanisms were put in place to accommodate learners who arrived to examination venues late.

“All learners who arrived late were allowed into examination rooms at different centres in Tshwane and Sedibeng areas, even those who accessed centres beyond the one hour cut off time. It is important to note that some learners were also allowed to write at alternative centres,” said the department.

The NSC examinations is the culmination of 12 years of education and all civil society organisations should work towards making this period as seamless as possible for learners.

“It is completely unacceptable that an organisation that claims to be acting in the best interest of South Africans could consciously compromise the education of learners in such a manner. We urge those who wish to exercise their right to protest to do so in a manner that does not interfere with the rights of learners particularly during examinations,” said the department. – SAnews.gov.za