Johannesburg - The Department of Basic Education has announced that this year’s matriculants will sit for their final national senior certificate exams between October 19 and November 26.
The dates come shortly after the ministry held talks with the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) on Thursday last week to discuss several issues affecting the basic education sector.
Minister Angie Motshekga said it was important to announce that the CEM approved the 2020 National Senior Certificate (NSC) and Senior Certificate examination calendars.
According to the department, practical subjects such as Computer Applications Technology (CAT) and Information Technology (IT) will be examined on October 13 and 14, adding that in case of electricity disruptions, as experienced in 2019, re-writing of the two subjects would take place on October 27.
The May and June 2020 matric re-write sessions have been scheduled for May 4-11, with results being released at the end of July.
“The council appeals to members of the public to protect schools, especially during exams,” Motshekga said.
The meeting also discussed the reduction of orders for school nutrition for learners in high schools by 10% during exams.
“During October and November each year, learners do not attend school after their examination; and the overstocking of food has, in many instances, attracted criminality and break-ins at schools. It is estimated that the reduction of stockpiling of food items will save the department a whopping R20.6 million a year,” Motshekga said.
She explained that the decision was in line with the government’s objectives of ensuring efficiency in using available resources.