Matrics should be applauded, whatever the exam results – Basic Education

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga is set to release the results of the National Senior Certificate exams on Thursday evening.

The department’s Elijah Mhlanga told the SABC the class of 2022 had to deal with load shedding, floods and community protests

He said last year’s matrics had to deal with Covid interruptions since 2020.

"The preparation of matric exams starts in grade 10, so let's go back in 2020, the class of 2022 they were in grade 10 when Covid hit and schools were closed. No meaningful learning took place and they did not write the exams because of the crisis. 

"Then they come to grade 11, Covid is still around and they still don't finish the curriculum because of the restrictions that were there, and again they don't write the exams. They come to 2022, grade 12, and the year is a bit stable but for a few months there were still masks that needed to be worn, there was social distancing to be observed until a decision was later taken to do away with the Covid restrictions. 

"So, on paper this class is the weakest in terms of academic preparedness because of what they have gone through. The last exam that they had seen was in 2019 when they were in grade 9.”

Mhlanga told the public broadcaster that any performance should be applauded.

"We need to take into account all these things that it was not a smooth ride for them, they were the worst affected in history. Any performance that they achieve today should be applauded, especially because there was a huge expectation of a high number of dropouts, but what we saw in the class of 2022 was an increase of about 20 000 of matriculants who made it. 

"Instead of a decrease we saw an increase of learners coming to matric. That is also a positive sign which means that this class was resilient and they persevered against all odds to get to the point where they wrote their exams to the end.”

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