Media Release
Minister of Education Donald Grant
Western Cape

13 October, 2011

Class of 2011 -Your time to do yourself and the Western Cape proud has arrived.

Statement by Minister Donald Grant, Minister of Education, Western Cape

Tomorrow, thousands of Grade 12 learners will experience the last day of their school career before they begin writing their National Senior Certificate examinations.

Their time to shine and make themselves and the Western Cape proud has now finally arrived and I would like to wish each candidate the best of luck throughout the examination process.

We are confident in the Class of 2011 and their abilities. They have worked hard and have remained focused throughout the school year. We are especially pleased with the enthusiasm shown in our Grade 12 programmes. This year we saw a marked increase in attendance at our tutoring and telematics programmes and holiday schools.

Now all we can hope for is that that their hard work translates into good results.

On Monday, the first examination will take place. Around 9 000 learners will sit down to complete the Computer Applications Technology Practical examination.

The first of the written examinations will take place on the 24th of October, with English First Additional Language, Home Language and Second Language. The last of the scheduled exams will be written on the 1st of December with Religious Studies Paper 2 and Design.

Results are expected to be released on the 5th of January 2011.

We understand that this is a very stressful and emotional time for all the candidates.

Candidates feeling anxious and stressed can phone the WCED's Safe Schools Call Centre for support. The toll-free number is 0800-45-46-47. Principals and their staff will also be on the lookout for anyone needing special support.

Parents and candidates can speak to their school principal if the candidates concerned need special support. Our school psychologists and social workers in every district and circuit are on standby to provide counselling support, as required.

Finally, I would like to caution our candidates to behave in a responsible manner during this period. Many of the candidates will be celebrating the end of their school career and individual exams.

We appeal that they celebrate responsibly, and also, to exercise extreme caution while driving.

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

Visit our website: http://wced.wcape.gov.za

Extra information on the CAT examinations:

Given that the Computer Applications Technology Practical examinations are computer-based, strict security needs to be administered during these examinations in order to secure the data on the individual computers.

Officials of the WCED have visited all the CAT examination venues to ensure that all networks and stand-alone workstations have been properly set up, and all invigilators have attended training sessions organised by the WCED.

If a power failure occurs during the examination, the centre manager must immediately inform the local authorities and also ascertain from them, if possible, how long the power failure is likely to last. The WCED must also be immediately informed of the power failure.

Candidates must remain in the computer room until the power supply is restored. The time lost during the power failure will be allowed as additional examination time. If, after two hours, the power supply has not been restored, the examination will be re- scheduled in consultation with the WCED's Directorate: Examination Administration. In the event of an examination being cancelled because of a power failure, the candidates must do the back-up paper on a date set by the national Department of Basic Education.

In the event of a computer breakdown during the examination, candidates must be immediately moved to back-up equipment, and appropriate additional time must be provided to the candidates. However, no additional time will be allowed for work lost that was not correctly saved. The same procedures apply to the Information Technology paper that will also be completed next week.