The DA would like to wish the Matric Class of 2022 well as they write their first National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination today. We trust that all their hard work and preparation will pay off.
We would also like to thank the teachers that have gone the extra mile to ensure that more than 923 000 pupils are prepared for their NSC exam starting today.
They have had to face and overcome many obstacles beyond simply ensuring that they put in enough study time. Apart from loadshedding and years of Covid-lockdowns wreaking havoc with curriculums and in-classroom teaching.
They’ve tried their best to gain an education in crumbling, dangerous and often unsanitary infrastructure, while often being let down by the quality of teaching. The rising cost of living on food and transport have also made it difficult for many learners to continuously attend classes with a nutritious meal.
Yet they persevered.
We anticipate positive outcomes in the announcement of results on the 19th of January 2023 and that Department of Basic Education (DBE) can report on how many learners are in universities, pursuing work opportunity or upgrading from the previous cohort.
The DA will be monitoring the examination, marking and verification processes, as always, keeping a close eye on the true pass rate. With 3.8 million youth not in education, employment or skills training, the country cannot allow a single learner to slip through the cracks.
We believe that every young learner deserves to have their hard work rewarded with a stable and growing economy that will allow them to pursue their dreams.
The DA will continue to work hard to hold the ANC government to account and ensure that school infrastructure is upgraded and maintained, that learners receive quality educations and that not a single learner is left behind. It is crucial therefore that provisions must be made for the schools mostly affected by the floods and natural disasters to ensure that they write exams in a conducive learning environment.
We will also monitor the possible impact of loadshedding and other factors on the marking of scripts and ultimately the announcement of results.