Select Committee on Education welcomes assurances from DBE on 2021 matric exam readiness
20 October 2021
The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education and Technology, Sports, Arts and Culture, Mr Elleck Nchabeleng, has welcomed assurances from the Department of Basic Education that the class of 2021 is ready for the final examinations.
The department’s work has been commendable, given the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has made planning difficult. It has also hampered the committee’s monitoring work, but nonetheless it appreciates what the department has been able to report. The committee will follow-up and hold the department accountable once the parliamentary recess period to accommodate the upcoming local elections is over.
Minister Angie Motshekga revealed last week that 735 677 learners will sit for their final Grade 12 examination in 2021. She said all nine provinces have indicated their state of readiness and it is all-systems-go for examinations in the second year of Covid-19-affected examinations.
Mr Nchabeleng praised teachers who, over and above their teaching duties, have had to fulfil the roles of parents and healthcare workers, while dealing with the strain of living through a pandemic.