Cape Town – Gauteng has enrolled 175 599 candidates to write this year’s National Senior Certificate (NSC) October/November examinations, said the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) in a statement released on Sunday.
This is an increase of 17.55% from 2020 where a total of 149 385 had enrolled to sit for the exams.
This makes the class of 2021 the highest enrolment number ever of candidates to sit for the National Senior Certificate examinations in the province.
The NSC year-end examinations are scheduled to begin on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, and end on December 6, 2021.
“This year’s exams will be the second to occur amid the Covid-19 pandemic. As such, preparations by our department for these assessments are paramount to ensure they occur conveniently and securely for all qualifying candidates and stakeholders involved,” said the GDE.
In preparation of conducting these exams, the GDE said it has established an extensive network of monitors across the province and officially appointed and trained chief invigilators and monitors for the examination centres.
There are also security arrangements in place to safely manage the distribution and collection of question papers and answer sheets.
The first marking session will take place on November 15 and second marking session on December 7. The marking process is expected to be completed by December 23.
“Our most effective of these interventions has been the Secondary School Improvement Programme (SSIP), a major strategic intervention for progressed and high-risk learners. The SSIP has been running since the beginning of the year during Saturdays and school holidays to sustain the improved Grade 12 performance over the past years,” said the department.
Gauteng vows to observe Covid-19 protocols during the examination. The majority of teachers in Gauteng have been vaccinated against Covid-19. The learners also now have an opportunity to vaccinate.
GDE has reinforced standard procedures that will be followed at all examination centres. These include: maximum of 30 candidates per room with 1 metre distancing, masks to be worn all the times, isolation rooms have been provided for sick candidates in each examination centre, candidates who test positive for Covid-19 will not be allowed to sit for exams in the same hall as other candidates, hand sanitisers and surface cleaners will be provided for all rooms used and sanitising of hands and temperature scanning at entry points will take place.
Invigilators who display any Covid-19 related symptoms will be released to seek medical attention and will only be allowed to return after producing a doctor’s letter or Covid-19 negative results.
Candidates who are confirmed positive will be quarantined as per prescribed health requirements
IOL