The North West Department of Education says it is pleased with how the matric preliminary exams are continuing and that no incidents or disruptions have been reported so far.
The preliminary exams started on August 29 with seven papers written so far.
The eighth paper, Computer Applications Technology is expected to be written on Monday afternoon, shortly after Agricultural Science.
The province has registered 43 485 candidates to sit for preliminaries, including part-time candidates.
The department said it has since prepared learners throughout the year, with some subjects completed while others are already on a revision programme.
“Since the beginning of the academic year, we have assisted our learners with additional supplementary Saturday tutoring for maths, physical science, life science, geography, and accounting lessons to enhance question-answering skills,” the department said.
Another measure will be the holding of spring camps, which is customary for the North West Department of Education, to assist learners bridge the content gap in all subjects.
The department’s telecommunications forum, Dial-a-Tutor, is also available where learners engage with subject advisers on problematic areas of learning.
MEC for education in the North West province, Mmaphefo Matsemela, said she was pleased with the progress so far.
“I am pleased that despite a hectic start to our academic year in the province, where some schools were burnt, we rose above the challenge and continued with our mandate of teaching and learning.
“Our candidates have been doing well with the papers so far, with no incidents reported, and we take this time to also thank the community for allowing learners to write while pleading with our community to continue assisting us to hold incident-free exams,” Matsemela said.
“Most of our schools are done with the syllabus and are administering revision classes. We will also run our spring camps to bridge the content gap and apply all other mechanisms to ensure our learners are better prepared,” she added.
Preparatory exams will run for a month and conclude on Friday, September 23.
kailene.pillay@inl.co.za
Education