gcis vuk uzenzele > By gcis vuk uzenzele - 29 January 2021 - 07:00 Frans Mpete, who at the age of 65 is working towards achieving his matric certificate. Image: Supplied.
Generations of people who were unable to finish high school because of personal challenges, are still able to get that much-desired matric certificate.
When Frans Mpete was 15 years old, hard times forced him to leave school. Fast forward 50 years and Mpete, now 65, is close to ending his years-long regret of not having matriculated.
The resident of Lombardy East in Johannesburg says he always felt he was missing out because ‘without matric you are less able to earn a good income’.
Compiled by Elizabeth Mamacos Schools are opening two weeks later in 2021
The decision to delay the reopening of schools in 2021 was based on a request from the Ministry of Health, it has emerged.
The request came because health institutions are overstretched due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It was announced late last week that government schools would not be reopening at the end of January as planned, and instead remain closed until 15 February.
Private schools were also persuaded to remain closed, or in some cases asked to close after having opened already.
ECDs, daycare centres and many pre-schools have not been affected by the regulation, and children under age 6 are largely going back to, or starting, school over the next weeks.
MARKING for the 2020 National Senior Certificate (NSC) final exams is almost completed with just a few marking centres finishing up before Friday, said the Department of Basic Education’s director for examinations Priscilla Ogunbanjo.
Nationwide, 45 000 matric exam markers will mark 14 million scripts in 181 marking centres across the country. (Papi Morake, Gallo Images)
DBE says it is happy to announce that over 90% of marking centres have completed their work and the rest are expected to on Friday.
The department says 315 markers tested Covid-19 positive across the centres.
It says while the system was tested, it believes all challenges were overcome.
The marking of 2020 combined National Senior Certificate and Senior Certificate examinations has been completed by most provinces, ahead of schedule, according to the Basic Education Department.
The department held a technical briefing on the marking process in Pretoria on Wednesday.