“It’s all systems go for 2024 matric exams” – Siviwe Gwarube

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said the department is ready to administer the 2024 matric exams which started today. Her comments come as 727,121 full-time and 155,215 part-time candidates will sit for the GDE matric exam, while 16,400 learners will write Independent Examinations Board. Gwarube and her deputy Reginah Mhaule briefed the media in Pretoria about the department’s readiness for the 2024 exams. “These exams are not only a critical milestone for the learners involved, but they also represent the cumulative efforts of our education system, our schools, communities, and, of course, the Department of Basic Education. I proudly announce that we are ready to administer the 2024 NSC exams, holding ourselves to best-in-class integrity, security, and efficiency standards.Outside of the National and Local Government elections, I have yet to learn any other logistical project of the magnitude of the National Senior Certificate Examinations,” said Gwarube.

The minister noted that the class of 2024 had faced a range of challenges throughout their academic journeys, mainly due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.Despite this, she said government and provinces had implemented several measures, to ensure that they’re not left behind.

“The Class of 2024 entered Grade 8 in 2020, right at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The disruption caused by the pandemic during these formative years has had a lasting impact on their learning. Over the course of their academic journey, the Department has instituted several mitigation measures to address these gaps. These interventions were part of our Learning Recovery Programme, which aimed to mitigate the effects of the pandemic and ensure that learners could make up for lost time,” explained Gwarube.

She said security has been heightened, to prevent leaks, disruptions and cheating, adding that the department has also taken extensive precautions to safeguard the integrity of the examination process.

“The setting, printing, and distribution of question papers have been completed, with a total of 162 quality-assured papers approved by Umalusi for this year’s NSC exams. Taking lessons from previous instances of editing errors, the Department introduced additional quality gates for an extra layer of checks.In terms of security, the Department has taken extensive precautions to safeguard the integrity of the examination process. We have completed audits of all storage facilities across the country to ensure they meet the required standards for secure handling of examination materials,” said the minister.

In addition, Gwarube highlighted that all exam materials will be stored under strict conditions, and Provincial Education Departments have been equipped with Standard Operating Procedures to ensure the safe and secure handling of question papers from printing to distribution. Moreover, Gwarube said Eskom and municipalities has assured it that load reduction will be suspended during the week of matric exams where learners will write computer-based subjects.

She also pleaded with communities not to protest near schools or their actions leading to the disruption of exams.Gwarube highlighted that they’re working with the South African Weather Service, to monitor severe weather in in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, which might cause localised flooding and disrupt the exams.