Call for Limpopo education dept to be placed under administration

This, the body said, was to prevent the examination being delayed.

SGB provincial chairperson Prince Phandavhudzi said the postponement of examinations could frustrate learners’ preparation, and some risked forgetting what for these examinations. He further added that the delay could cause some learners to forget what they had studied.

Phandavhudzi said the provincial education department’s failure to provide examination question papers and the postponement of lower grades exams was a sign that its management was failing.

“We are receiving many calls from schools, saying they receive only one question paper and they are expected to produce duplicates and they don’t have funds,” said Phandavhudzi.

He said this came after the department had announced at least three postponements since the examinations for Grade 10 and 11 started. The postponement, he said, was apparently due to lack of funds.

Education departmental spokesperson Naledzani Rasila said the expectation that schools should photocopy examination papers has been suspended after they realised their approach to this issue was ineffective.

“When we started, we agreed that examinations will be run from the districts, that’s where the issue started and we realised it’s not working and we are now printing for every child at the centre,” said Rasila.

Phandavhudzi said if schools were allocated norms and standard grants, they could have managed to run the examination period more effectively.

“If the norms and standards [were implemented] they could have managed to run the examination by themselves. It is shocking because they knew that examinations will be written – it is not like it’s a disaster that caught them by surprise.

“This is just a sign that will lead to the total collapse of the department, so they must be placed under administration again, we are very disappointed.”

The department is one of five departments that were placed under administration in 2011 by National Treasury in a bid to end mismanagement. It was handed back to the province in 2014.

Rasila said the additional English first language paper 1 for grade 11 pupils which was scheduled to be written on Monday, would be written on Friday.

All grades affected by these delays are expected to complete their examinations on November 30. - ANA

(File photo: Gallo Images)