Cape Town - A total of 48 492 full-time and part-time learners in the Western Cape will be sitting for their 2009 Senior Certificate Examinations on 26 October.
According to the provincial Department of Education, 46 790 full-time and 1 702 part-time learners would be writing the examinations in 415 examination centres across the province, an increase of 3 022 learners from last year.
MEC for Education Donald Grant said the department welcomed the increase as its objective was to further build on this growth in years to come. "By 2012 we would like to see 50 000 learners writing their final examinations."
In preparing for the exams, Grant said the remainder of the timetables and admission letters were printed and will be distributed to schools this week.
"All schools have been issued with the final registration schedules and timetables, a total of 3 100 markers will be appointed to do marking from 9 to 15 December 2009," Grant said.
The department has also made available psychologists who will be deployed to circuits to provide emotional support to learners.
"This is a very emotional time for many of our learners. We have a school psychologist at each of our 49 circuits offering counselling and psychological support for candidates who feel pressurised and depressed during, after and before the exams," he said.
He appealed to parents and caregivers to support their children during the last few weeks before the exams, which ends on 4 December.
"They need a focused, quiet environment to learn in and enough sleep and nutrition to keep their energy levels up.
"Although many of our learners are learning under trying circumstances, they must never forget that the result of their hard work and hours they put in now will have profound effects on the direction their life takes," said Grant.
He further encouraged learners to use the remaining time on subjects where they have produced poor results during the September examinations or in subject areas they were unsure of.
Grant said they were looking forward to seeing an improvement in this year's matric pass rate.
"There is no way we can forecast what the outcome will be, but I would obviously want to see an improvement in both the pass rates and in the pass ratios."
In 2008, the province managed to score over the national average pass rate with an achievement of 78.6 percent pass rate, which was slightly lower than the 80.6 percent pass rate recorded in 2007.
