Johannesburg - Teachers union Sadtu and various political parties have wished Grade 12s good luck as they face the final hurdle of their 12-year schooling career.
Sadtu said the importance of this exam could not be overemphasised
“The 2022 class is the largest cohort to sit for these exams. It is this class that has suffered the most challenges. In 2020, while this class was in Grade 10, it experienced lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lost almost half of the year as schools closed in March and opened in July on a rotational basis which continued well into 2021,” said the union.
In what has been a testing time for pupils in the past couple of years, the Class of 2022 according to the union only experienced full-time classroom attendance in 2022 while doing Grade 12, and just as the pandemic was beginning to subside, the problem of load shedding surfaced.
“Blackouts cause delays in travelling and students may find themselves arriving at examination centres already emotionally disturbed. The candidates writing and their teachers will carry levels of anxiety through this examination period because they have not rested as they needed to cover three years of work,” said the union.
Sadtu also called on families and the guardians of pupils to give them all the support and space to study and prepare accordingly during this time of writing exams.
DA spokesperson on education, Khume Ramulifho, wished the 2022 class well and urged all to remain disciplined and focused during this period which is crucial in shaping their future.
“We applaud Gauteng teachers and previous learners as they have over the years maintained a pass rate of over 80%. We believe that with sufficient and necessary support from parents and the community the Class of 2022 will make our province proud,” Ramulifho said.
He encouraged pupils to refrain from cheating and pleaded with the Gauteng Department of Education to ensure that there were no leaks to ensure credible exams.
The IFP reminded pupils that nothing worthwhile was ever easy, and that time invested in studying would bear fruit.
“Success in exams is built on consistent hard work and effort. During this often-stressful time, we would also like to call on parents and guardians to support their children,” said the party.
The IFP also thanked the teachers and support staff who worked tirelessly over the past year to prepare pupils for these exams.
“We also thank in advance all those who will be providing support during the exams in venues across the country. We would also like to offer a word of warning to those who might be considering cheating: it is not worth risking your future – please do not cheat,” added the IFP.
Last week the EFF said plenty of pupils writing these exams were writing under extraordinarily difficult times.
“Thousands of learners in KwaZulu-Natal who were affected by the destructive floods earlier this year have not been schooling in a constructive environment. Many are still housed in community halls, and access to school and proper study environment at home is almost impossible,” said the EFF.
The Fighters said despite the many difficulties faced by Grade 12s across the country, they still believed that education was central for economic freedom.
The Star