With fewer incidents of exam cheating, Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane said he was pleased with the conduct of the Class of 2023 who sat through the six-week exam period.
Chiloane indicated that more than 188 000 candidates in the province sat for this year’s matric exams which concluded on December 6.
On Sunday, the MEC gave the province an update on the roll-out of the exams as well as online admissions and safety in schools.
He added that only 45 learners were caught with crib notes, while an “impostor” was caught writing a matric paper on behalf of another learner.
“The national senior examination process went very well. We had over 188 075 candidates of which 133 000 were full-time and 54 000 part-time. The examination period (ran from) October 30 to the December 6.
“The process was tightly monitored. The monitoring of the papers and how we guarded the papers to the schools and the process of opening up the papers as well as the invigilators went accordingly and we got thumbs up from Umalusi in managing that process,” he said.
In spite of less problems and cheating, Chiloane said managing irregularities was important.
“The only problem we had is that we had 501 overall irregularities of which 45 were learners caught with crib notes. We had five learners who were in possession of cellphones and one impostor trying to write an examination on behalf of a learner.
“This shows that our invigilators were vigilant. They were able to pick up these 45 learners. Over all this was a drop in the ocean compared to the number of candidates that wrote the exams who wrote senior certificate,” he said.
He said the matric exam results will be announced on January 18 with the minister of basic education expected to announce the results then.
Chiloane appealed to members of the community to ensure safety at Gauteng schools.
“We appeal to the community because schools are the property of society. We can't sit and watch people break schools and its infrastructure. It is not right. We are pleading with communities to protect schools. Every society has the ability to advance or not, depending on the quality of schools.
“If school infrastructure is destroyed by our own community, how can we advance? We have a comprehensive school safety programme to protect our schools but all of this will not be impactful if the community is not on board. This includes whistle-blowers and those who guard our communities,” he said.
The MEC said the department was working closely with parents to ensure that their children were placed in schools of their choice.
“We are closely working with parents to find placements. The appeals are not as many. So far, the process is being managed very well,” he said.
The Star