The 2024 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams concluding on Thursday were not without challenges as violent incidents were observed, especially in the Eastern Cape, where six girls were raped, fights reported and department vehicles hijacked.
Group fights erupted in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, prompting the department to relocate affected learners to secure venues in order to write exams.
However, the intervention came after three Grade 12 learners could not sit for the Life Sciences paper two exam due to the attacks and a Grade 10 learner was killed.
The Eastern Cape also recorded stabbing incidents that were separate from group fights, along with the Northern Cape and North West provinces.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube was joined by officials in Parliament on Wednesday to provide an update on the administration of exams.
The exams commenced on October 21 and more than 727 000 full-time candidates and over 155 000 part-time candidates across the country sat for them.
About 319 candidates from the Eastern Cape who could not write their exam because of inclement weather have been given a rewrite opportunity on Thursday.
Gwarube said the overall administration of the exams was smooth.
“On the positive side, stringent monitoring ensured a fair process. High risk examination centres were closely supervised, with a minimum of 70% of centres monitored during each session.
This robust system helped us maintain the integrity of the exams, even in the face of external disruptions.
“On a sombre note, we must acknowledge the violent incidents that overshadowed the exam period in parts of the country. In the Eastern Cape, five learners were gang-raped while preparing for their exams at a local house. Just weeks later, another female learner was gang-raped on November 13 also in the Eastern Cape,” she said.
The minister said the incidents were a reminder of the dangers that many learners face, especially young girls.
“As we observe 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, let these incidents serve as a rallying call to all South Africans to stand against such barbaric acts. Schools and communities must be places of safety, not spaces of fear, violence and abuse.
“There were protest actions in various parts of the country, including Jan Kempdorp, Gert Sibande, and Limpopo,” said Gwarube.
The department noted that a KwaZulu-Natal candidate was arrested by police in an exam room as the learner was a suspect in an armed robbery case that happened the previous night.
However, the department expressed discontent about how the issue was handled, saying they have taken it up with the Provincial Joint Operational Centre (PROVJOC).
DBE chief director for national assessment and public examinations, Dr Rufus Poliah said marking officials were hijacked and held for hours before being released in the Eastern Cape.
“Just this morning we received reports where a group of marking officials (who) drove out of Mthatha en route to the marking centre were hijacked and they were kept by the suspects from about 7pm and fortunately released unharmed around 2am in the morning. The vehicle has not been recovered – it remains stolen but did not have any examination materials,” he said.
The department said they were noting a concerning trend in the province where department marked vehicles were targeted.
Poliah said 182 marking centres have been audited and more than 52 391 markers ready for marking.
Marking Standardisation Meetings (MSMs) have commenced and 60 of the 164 meetings completed.
Cape Times