After a successful National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination period, marking of exam scripts were underway. However, for one marking centre in the Free State, the process of marking has been disrupted.
On Wednesday 15 December, a hailstorm caused damage to a marking centre in Thaba Nchu in the Free State.
The marking centre was situated at the Albert Moroka High School, where the Accounting Paper 2 and Business Studies paper 2 were being marked at the centre.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has confirmed that one marker sustained minor injuries while the rest escaped unharmed. Around 112 markers were employed to work at the centre.
The department is appealing for calm at this stage as the full implications of the damage is still to be evaluated.
The DBE’s Chief Director for Public Examinations and Assessments Dr Rufus Poliah said “A high-powered delegation consisting of senior officials from the DBE and Umalusi will be visiting the marking centre…We are working as fast as possible to resolve the matter but we can assure the candidates that nobody will be disadvantaged as a result of a natural disaster”.
DBE spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga says provisions made in the administration of examinations are sufficient to provide relief in a situation where there is a natural disaster. He added that officials at the marking centre helped recover as much as they could at the damaged marking centre.
Mhlanga also assured candidates that the release date of the results will not be delayed due to 23 markers in Limpopo testing positive for Covid-19.
He added that the department was prepared for this after learning these lessons in 2020, and explained that there is a contingency plan and reserve markers are on standby.
He said, “In a situation like Limpopo where some markers tested positive other markers were called upon to replace those so that marking is not disrupted or delayed. In the case of [the] Free State all of the markers are marking and it was just a delay of a day when they were relocated here [to Bloemfontien] but they remain on schedule to finish”.
Marking of matric exams is scheduled to conclude on 27 December 2021 and results will be announced on 20 January 2022. Learners will receive their individual results the following day.
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