Teacher unions call for matric exams to be delayed

Teacher unions call for matric exams to be delayed

Date Published: August 25, 2020

Sadtu NEC wants the start of matric exams to be delayed

The National Executive Committee(NEC) is determined to urge the Department of Basic Education to delay the start of exams. The NEC suggests that exams should start on 26 November instead of 5 November so that learners are given more time to prepare. 

The decision made by the NEC to push for the delay of the exams is motivated by the constant closing and reopening of schools. The continous closing and reopening of schools has had a major effect on learners, especially those from disadvantaged communities.

COVID-19 has created stress and anxiety amongst teachers & learners

The NEC has held discussions with the DBE to make sure that there are therapeutic or psychosocial services for teachers, learners and all other workers in the education field.

When schools were closed during the national lockdown, teachers did not have enough time to prepare work to give to learners while they were at home. This mainly affected learners from disadvantaged backgrounds as they do not have the resources to learn from home. 

The NEC engaged with the Department of Education to ensure that learners receive the support that they need to learn from home. The NEC stated that learners need support through the provision of data, and teachers need to be trained to use online and remote teaching methods.

Corruption is stealing from the future of your children

The NEC has identified a huge problem with corruption. “Corruption is stealing from the future of our children and denying our passionate and hardworking educators as frontline workers the tools of trade, teach and care for the learners.” The DBE has planned to trim the number of subjects for learners in grade 7 to 9. 

The NEC has opposed the plan to reduce subjects. “The Department wants to make things easier for themselves at the expense of proper career pathing for the learners ” says the NEC. The NEC also said the reducing subject choices for learners will affect their options when  they reach grade 10/FET phase.

They have also mentioned that reducing subjects would widen the gap between resourced and under-resourced schools. The NEC had decided to engage with the DBE on this matter urgently.

Author: Omega Fumba