With only 10 days to go, quality assurance council, UMALUSI, has approved the writing of the 2024 end year national examinations, even after its concerning findings that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has a shortage when it comes to staff members that are needed across the nine provinces for the exams.
“We do not want contingency measures. We want full time staff members in our examinations. That is not where we should be as a country,” Chief Executive Officer of UMALUSI, Dr Rakometsi Mafu said.
The council’s assessment of the state of readiness of the public (DBE and Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)) and private assessment bodies (Independent Examinations Board (IEB) and South African Comprehensive Assessment Institute (SACAI)) to conduct, administer and manage the 2024 end of year national examinations in respect of the National Senior Certificate (NSC), National Certificate Vocational (NC(V): L2 – L4), NATED Report 190/191 (N2 – N3) and the General Education and Training Certificate: Adult Basic Education and Training (GETC: ABET) was satisfactory.
The DBE has registered 882 336 candidates who will sit for the NSC for 2024, while 16 321 will write theirs under the IEB and 5 789 under the SACAI assessment body. The DHET has registered 165 507 candidates for the NC (V): L2 -L4, and 55 184 people for the GETC: ABET exams.
When asked about the findings by UMALUSI, Elijah Mhlanga, who speaks on behalf of the DBE, emphasized that the department always makes sure that examinations are not compromised.
“We get staff seconded from other sections in the department, to be moved to the exam section for the duration of the exam process. We cover every bit to ensure that the examination itself is not compromised because it’s a sensitive process and we make sure that that those officials who are available to be seconded are seconded,” Mhlanga explained.
He says that subject advisers, who normally support the schools, go to the schools to specifically during the exam time.
“They become monitors, they become delivery agents making sure that the system is fully functional and that there is no area of the examination that is not covered,” he added.
Over R320 billion was allocated to the Basic Education sector for 2024/25 financial year, however, R2.8 billion of that was later cut and that has caused a few challenges.
“We are operating under fiscal constraints, but we want to ensure that the national examinations are not compromised. The Minister is busy with the process at the moment together with provinces to ensure that the impact of the budget cuts does not affect examinations in particular.” Mhlanga said.
He says in the discussions with the Minister of Finance, the issue of human resources, particularly when it comes to exams, is considered very serious because the quality of the education that is given to children should not be compromised and neither should the process of certification at a Grade 12 level.
“We want to do everything in our power to protect the sector as a whole but exams in particular,” concluded Mhlanga.
Exams will start on the 21st of October 2024, with English at 09:00.