The department’s spokesperson, Elias Malindi, says the Grade 12 preliminary exams began on Monday 29 August 2022, and ended with a Life Science paper on Thursday, 22 September 2022.

The department registered 43 485 learners, including part-time candidates, in North West to sit for the preliminary exams. Malindi says that the department is aware of five areas where service delivery demonstrations were a problem, causing learners to write their exams under stressful conditions.

This was said after stating that on 22 September 2022, a school in the Moses Kotane district was barred by the community from administering its final paper by protesting about poor service delivery.

Malindi says the department has advised a mitigation strategy for affected learners and they will organise a paper of the same weight to be administered when the protest settles down.

"Our students have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to parents impeding their academic progress, and we sincerely hope that this practice will end. I wish to thank learners for being relentless in not letting external circumstances determine their future."

Malindi says that North West Education MEC Mmaphefo Matsemela thanked teachers, parents and learners.

“To our teachers who held the fort to ensure examinations continued regardless of these issues, I am truly gratified, and to parents who endured their children’s education matter, we thank you,” she said.

OFM News