Nelspruit - The 5 000 matric pupils in Mpumalanga who did not receive their matric results in December, will know their fate by Friday.
This is according to provincial Department of Education spokesperson Jasper Zwane, who said officials were working around the clock to ensure the pupils receive their results as soon as possible.
"It is envisaged that by Friday the department shall have finalised the process."
However, Mr Zwane was unable to say when the 111 pupils who were still waiting for their Computer Science results would receive those results.
Education Minister Naledi Pandor released the national interim results on 31 December.
At the time, Ms Pandor said 56 810 candidates nationally had incomplete results due to outstanding internal marks, oral or practical requirements or pending irregularity investigations. These results, she said, would only be released in January.
On the same day, Education MEC Mathulare Coleman released the provincial matric results.
Fewer than half the pupils who wrote their 2008 final matric exams in Mpumalanga passed.
"Of the total of 41 603 candidates who sat for this examination, 21 085 passed," said Ms Coleman, who urged officials and community members not to criticise the department for the results.
She said her department had been fully prepared for the new National Curriculum Statement (NCS) and that any form of criticism or higher expectations was "not practical and logical".
Of 58 520 candidates who enrolled for the exams, only 41 603 wrote their finals. Only 5 335 pupils qualified to do degree courses, while 7 845 qualify for a diploma course and 7 894 can enroll in any certificate course.
Ms Coleman said Mpumalanga managed to produce 6 105 distinctions, some 3 707 female obtained distinctions and 2 398 males.
The province's performance in key subjects was better than the national average.
Mpumalanga obtained 47.92 percent against a national average of 20 percent in Physical Science, 40.21 percent against a national average of 17 percent in mathematics and 65 percent against a national average of 76 percent in mathematical literacy.
Ms Coleman said Mpumalanga obtained 95 percent in indigenous languages.
She blamed the poor results on a shortage of qualified math and physics teachers, new subject content and marking systems, poor command of English, and papers being set and standardised nationally.
Meanwhile, Mr Zwane said most of this year's matrics had been registered for the 2009 year, but was unable to provide figures.
He urged community members to alert officials if any grade 12 pupils were not at school when schools re-open on January 12.
Communities can alert the department on the toll free number: 0800 203 116.
Mr Zwane said school material had already been dispatched to schools across the province in October last year and that any remaining material would be delivered before schools re-opened.
