Matric exams are off to promising start
Nervous matric pupils across SA sat down to write their first exam on Monday, and schools and officials in the Eastern Cape said it proceeded smoothly.
Premier Oscar Mabuyane wished pupils good luck for the exam season and encouraged them to stay calm and committed to their futures.
“We are grateful that the first day of matric examinations has gone smoothly, without any reported cases across the province. It’s good to see that it’s all systems go,” he said.
“We encourage our learners to keep focused on the goal ... Make us proud!”
Provincial education department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said 98,746 pupils had written the English paper 1 exam with no reported incidents.
Mtima said all papers had been dropped off and returned on time.
“We are more than ready for examinations, our matric learners wrote English paper one today according to plan — all is running smoothly,” he said.
This year, 942 state schools in the province will host examinations for 98,756 full-time pupils, while 18,631 private candidates will complete their exams at 124 designated parttime centres.
Yolanda Kondlo, deputy principal of Philemon Ngcelwane High in Mdantsane, said the day started with a prayer at assembly before the school’s 179 matrics wrote their exams.
“We were well prepared as a school. We had received enough examination papers and made sure our examination rooms were ready in time with enough seating and water,” Kondlo said.
“When they came out they were relatively excited to have finished, but this morning you could see the anxiety.
“We tried to encourage them, saying that they would be starting all together as a class with a language paper. All the revision we did together paid off.”
Hudson Park High academic head Theresa van der Merwe said the school’s 191 matric pupils experienced an incidentfree start to their examinations.
“Everything ran fairly smoothly. Our learners were apprehensive walking into the exam, being their first, but the general nervousness eased up,” Van der Merwe said.
“The system worked phenomenally, the drop-off and collection of papers arrived on time, and the learners had their reading time and could use their time effectively.
“Chatting with the matrics, they said they were excited — they realise that the end is in sight and this is the final push.
“I think our students prepared well.”
Results will be released between January 19 and 20 by both national education minister Angie Motshekga and provincial education MEC Fundile Gade.