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Media Release

18 October, 2010

Classes continue for some Grade 12s despite end of Grade 12 school year

This morning, Western Cape Education Minister Donald Grant visited ID Mkhize Secondary to address a class of Grade 12 Visual Arts learners ahead of their National Senior Certificate Practical examination on Wednesday.

“Although Friday the 15th of October marked the last day of the Grade 12 school year, some of our schools have voluntarily decided to continue to provide tutoring for our learners this week, with various programmes continuing throughout the examination period,” said Grant.

“The majority of the schools that have remained open for Grade 12s are schools, like ID Mkhize, that were affected by the recent strike. Therefore, I am pleased, with just one week to go before the first theory examination, that these schools have decided to continue to make up for the teaching time lost, as well as give these learners the additional support they need in subjects that they are struggling with.”

Grant visited ID Mkhize to assess how the school was managing with their extra classes and to wish learners Good Luck for the examinations.

“I visited this school on the 13th of January this year, to congratulate the school management and educators for their success in the 2009 NSC. The school achieved excellent results and received an award for ‘Excellence in academic achievement’. They increased their pass rate from 62.35 to 80.39%.”

“I also addressed the learners, encouraging their Class of 2010 to push hard this year so that they can, at the very least, reach their target of 89%. So, a full school year on, I wanted to see how these learners have progressed, especially given the challenges they have experienced this year with the strike and the World Cup.”

Grant said that while he was concerned about the effects of the strike, all was being done to make the time up.

“ID Mkhize have organised extra lessons for learners this week, and after an assessment of the September examinations are completed, more tuition will be provided in the subjects that have achieved low results. This school is also part of our telematics programme and mathematics learners are receiving additional support through a studying programme with UCT,” said Grant.

“These kind of initiatives are happening all over the province. All of our districts have organised tutoring programmes that will continue right up until the 5th of November. Other measures will also be introduced once the September results have been assessed.”

For enquiries, contact Bronagh Casey:  072 724 1422 or brcasey@pgwc.gov.za.


Issued by:
Bronagh Casey
Media Liaison Officer
Office of the Minister of Education
Western Cape
Tel: 021 467 2377
Fax: 021 425 5689

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