The class of 2021 started writing their final matric exams on Wednesday the 27th of October 2021 and the Gauteng Department of Education was ready for everything to run smoothly. The province has seen an increase in the number of candidates this year. Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi mentioned that the Department is ready since it is a logistical nightmare if the Covid protocols are added, and the current state we are in now makes it uneasy to execute the mandate of preparing for final examinations.
Normally it takes approximately eighteen months to prepare for the exams, the setting of the question papers, printing, and storage, evaluation of whether the questions are relevant and also whether the questions are not difficult for the learners. Nonetheless, the Department was ready to unravel their readiness. The other part which has been affected in terms of the exams, has to be the exam venues, because previously schools utilised halls but now they require enormous space in terms of capacity due to social distancing.
On the issue of exam paper leaks, it is quite unusual because the Department faced an obstacle last year after almost six to seven years where they did not have a leak. At least they managed to discover where the leak was and they had to put systems in place in terms of additional CCTV cameras, retrieving phones from all their staff members that were working during the period of preparing the exam papers, however the papers were printed on time to avoid the anticipation of leaks.
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