‘This is your time’

Government departments unite to support class of '24

The Eastern Cape Department of Education launched its ‘Last Push’ Matric support programme at Titi Jonas community hall in Port Alfred on October 4. Speakers encouraged the Grade 12 candidates to stay focused, and promised them the support they need to focus on the next few weeks as they tackle their final school exams. The event was combined with the launch of the University of the Western Cape Local Government SETA schools project. 

An array of speakers included the Eastern Cape Department of Education’s acting head Sharon Maasdorp, University of the Western Cape (UWC) Professor of Education Rajendran Govender, DoE Acting Chief Director of Curriculum Management Mrs Chulekazi Xundu-Bula, Ineeleng Molete. LGSETA Chief Executive Officer, Sadtu: Prov Chair Mazotsho Dukwe and Ndlambe Mayor Khululwa Ncamiso. Education MEC Fundile Gade gave the keynote address. Alongside around 400 learners from schools in the Sarah Baartman District, provincial education officials, senior management from all Ndlambe’s high schools and some councilors attended the event. 

The University of the Western Cape Local Government SETA schools project supports local high school students academically, with an emphasis on maths and science. UWC approached local government Setas for funding assistance to boost STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) at high schools to make university degrees in those subjects more accessible to pupils in rural areas. Since July, Grade 12s from various local schools started supplementary classes in those subjects, to help them prepare for the final exams. The project has since expanded to include Grade 10 and 11 pupils doing maths and science.  

Maasdorp, in her address, acknowledged the value of the support UWC and Ndlambe Municipality were giving the 300 pupils involved in the three-year programme. 

“Education is a societal responsibility and the department can’t do it on our own,” she said. 

 “Choosing Ndlambe to pilot this project was not a mistake,” Ncamiso said in her address. “We have a vision for this area to be number one in education. We take education very seriously because it’s a matter of public interest.” 

All of the speakers had powerful words of encouragement for the Grade 12s as they approach the final countdown to their matric exams. Maasdorp had important advice for parents and guardians during a time that can be very stressful for the young people under pressure to perform. 

“When your children are anxious and stressed, don’t always think you have to offer them advice,” she said. “Most of the time they just need an ear to listen, or a hand to hold.” 

To the Grade 12s, she said, “This is your time” Xundu-Bula said this was the time to identify and support learners at risk, as well as the ‘high fliers’. 

She gave a rundown of the last-push programme which includes supplementary material, study guides, study tips, website links, previous papers, studio broadcasts and weekend classes. On the wellness front, it includes a support SMS-line, the adopt-a-school programme, motivational sessions, a call centre on the Department of Basci Education website and webinars on coping strategies for exams.
“The work is done: now you need to consolidate, and practice,” she told pupils and principals.
SADTU’s Dukwe said the value of education was when the child of a farmworker had the opportunity to become a doctor. 

The event had started with the promotion of local government initiatives and Gade shifted the focus outwards to the province.  

“This is the province of hope,” he said. “The critical question is how we produce the Nelson Mandelas of today.” 

He called for discipline and focus as exams approach. Echoing remarks by the province’s leadership soon after the provincial and local government elections earlier this year, he said, “The time for the Eastern Cape is now.” 

Gade hailed the fact that even with counting not yet completed, the pass rate for the trial exams in the province was 82%. 

“Never in the history of this province have we even heard of [an] 80% pass,” he said. “The Eastern Cape has arrived!” 

Addressing both teachers and learners, he said, “Let’s hold this momentum; let’s not allow any disruptions.” 

Speaking of education as a strategic necessity for the nation, he said, “We are not only working with learners; we are building the nation.” 

For this reason, he urged the DBE to ensure plans were in place to mitigate anything that might threaten to interrupt the matric exams. Addressing the officials from the national office, he asked them to engage with the relevant government departments to ensure there were plans in place in case of physical disasters such as floods and logistical challenges like transport. He also asked them to ensure the Department of Social Development had plans in place to supplement their psychosocial services. 

Reiterating his faith in the province as an intellectual hub, he said, “The time has come to manage the skills we have and make the Eastern Cape a place to stay.” 

Confident and positive, Onako Komsana, the Provincial Learner Representative Council (PLRC) Chairperson, inspired her fellow learners with words of encouragement. 

“Reach for the stars,” she concluded. “Because even if you don’t achieve exactly what you wanted to, you will be closer than you were to your goal.” 

The National Senior Certificate practical exams started on Monday this week. Written exams start on Thursday October 17 for the 103,408 registered candidates from 963 examination centres in the province. 

Talk of the Town wishes all Grade 12 candidates the calm focus and self discipline they need to achieve their best in the 2024 final examinations. 

  • This article was first published in Talk of the Town, October 10, 2024. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.