• Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has provided an update on the progress of matric examinations.
• The National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams have entered the third week, but some challenges have been encountered.
• A candidate was unable to complete his assignment after police arrested him at the exam venue in connection with an armed robbery.

The National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams are entering their third week, but it hasn’t come without some challenges.

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube held a press briefing during which she explained the progress of the reviews, while providing key updates on other matters.

While the minister mentioned the BELA bill and the wave of food case of poisoning, she also presented some interesting statistics.

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A learner arrested on site

One of the most surprising statistics to come out of the press briefing is that a learner was arrested during questioning.

The minister confirmed that the learner was unable to complete his exam because police arrested him inside the exam venue.

He was arrested in connection with an armed robbery case.

Two people arrested for identity theft

Two impostors, posing as other registrants, were also detected and arrested. The impostors attempted to take the exams on behalf of those registered.

Director-general Hubert Mathanzima Mweli confirmed that if learners were involved in irregularities, they would be suspended from the exam for three years.

A small number of learners were also found with mobile phones and crib notes while taking their exams. These were confiscated and the learners received new answer books.

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Disruptive weather in some areas country, power outages, and even Taxi the protests also challenged the Ministry of Education. These issues were addressed quickly and baccalaureate candidates were still able to take the exams.

Gwarube requests meeting with Godongwana

In a related article, In brief News reported that Gwarube requested a meeting with Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.

She indicated that the topic would be to discuss the budget cuts currently being experienced by the Ministry of Education.

Teaching positions in the Western Cape are threatened because the Ministry of Education does not have the necessary budget.

Source: In Brief News