According to Premier Zamani Saul, all measures have been put in place to ensure a total of 23 928 candidates write their exams successfully. Addressing the media on the province’s state of readiness, Saul said he is confident the Class of 2020 will do the Northern Cape proud, despite the challenges that have been posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. He confirms learners in the province have lost 55 school days due to the lockdown that was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in March to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Speaking ahead of exams set to kick off tomorrow, Saul said the class of 2020 has an enormous task ahead of them to ensure they improve on last year’s 76,5% pass rate.

“It goes without saying that this year was a very difficult and abnormal school year as a result of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown has disrupted the lives of learners in different ways, not only on a personal level but also the extent to which they have completed the curriculum,” he said.

Saul says several interventions, including extra classes, were put in place to ensure learners are brought up to speed and he is confident the province is ready to administer the examinations.

“The department revised and strengthened the Covid-19 protocols that will apply to all examination processes. Strict compliance with Covid-19 regulations and guidelines is therefore guaranteed at all examination and marking centres,” he highlighted.

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