Photographer: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
TEACHER unions have praised their workers for their dedication and commitment in ensuring that the matric class of 2024 was ready for their final exams.
The National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA), the Nation Teachers Union (NATU), and the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) agreed that their members have done their best to prepare pupils for the National Senior Certificate exams that begins on October 21.
Thirona Moodley, spokesperson for NAPTOSA KZN, commended teachers for their diligence. She highlighted that many schools had initiated Grade 12 preparations from the year before, to ensure that pupils thoroughly grasped the vast curriculum before trial exams in September.
“For this reason, schools work tirelessly to prepare learners adequately,” she said, expressing confidence that KwaZulu-Natal will either match or exceed its record from the previous year’s exams results.
In a bid to enhance readiness, districts have coordinated extra classes during weekends and school holidays, a move NAPTOSA supported while keeping an eye on the well-being of both teachers and pupils.
“We are mindful of educator and learner burnout,” Moodley said, emphasising the balance between rigorous preparation and the necessity of maintaining well-being.
Naptosa was also set to implement training for matric monitors who will oversee schools during the exams.
“Our monitors provide us with reports after each paper is written,” Moodley explained, underscoring the vigilant observation that will take place to ensure a smooth exams process.
Echoing this sentiment, Doctor Ngema spokesperson for Natu lauded teachers who tirelessly worked through weekends and holidays to ensure that the syllabus was comprehensively covered.
“We appreciate the teachers for the hard work they did working during weekends and holidays in pursuit of curriculum coverage and revision of all the work covered since the beginning. We are ready and are optimistic that the exams will run well,” he said.
Ngema said teachers and principals were trained to watch out for irregularities during exams, assuring that both teachers and department officials would jointly monitor the process to uphold its integrity.
Nomusa Cembi spokesperson for SADTU praised teachers for their resilience, especially in light of the challenges faced during the year, including the devastating tornado that struck KZN.
“Our teachers have worked hard, not only at class level but also in the boot camps to prepare pupils for their final examinations,” she said.
Cembi added that teachers were adequately prepared to manage any irregularities, bolstering confidence in their ability to maintain a fair assessment environment.
“We believe enough has been done to train the teachers when there are cheating irregularities in the exam room, there are processes put in place and we have full confidence that they will act in accordance,” she said.