Pretoria - Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has warned learners who decide not to write the preliminary exams that they will have to live with their decision as no free marks will be awarded to them.
This follows disruptions on the first day of the exams on Monday, where Congress of South African Student Movement (COSAS) called on matriculants to boycott examinations. COSAS feels the learners are ill prepared for the exams after a three week gap in schooling due to the public service strike.
It wants learners to be awarded 25 percent marks for the exams without learners having to write them.
"Those marks should be earned and if learners boycott the preliminary exams, they will have to live with their decision," Motshekga said during an interview with the SABC.
She added that the department ran the education system and it would therefore make decisions relevant to it.
The minister said the matric final exams date would not be postponed and that there would be September holidays because some schools, which had minimal disruptions during the strike, had completed the syllabus and some had even done revision.
She was confident matriculants would do well. The department has set up a matric support programme aimed at supporting learners who need assistance. It is important for schools which achieved less than 60 percent pass rate to attend the programme, said Motshekga.
"The only threat is the instability, which is caused in some instances by our educators by unions and COSAS, if learners were not to be disrupted and given adequate chance, there is still hope for them to do well," said Motshekga.
Meanwhile, the 68 learners who were arrested in Limpopo for public violence have been released. The learners, who were part of the group which disrupted exams at six schools in Seshego were arrested on Monday.
Provincial spokesperson Pat Kgomo said security had been deployed in the schools and the exams continues today.
"We are not expecting any disruptions today and are currently communicating with learners explaining the importance of writing the preliminary exams, they should not see for the first time the format of the question papers in October and these exams will help them to be aware of what is expected," Kgomo said.
Gauteng Education spokesperson Charles Phahlane said that the situation in the province was not as dire as it is being reported in the media.
"It is not widespread disruptions and some people misinterpreted the situation, only four schools were disrupted and the majority of the schools were not affected and continued with the exams," Phahlane said. Police have been deployed to those schools in case of disruptions.
