Schools across the country officially close on Thursday, 23 September 2010.
When learners return on 4 October for the start of the fourth and final term, our class of 2010 will have just three weeks to go before the start of their national senior certificate examinations.
Therefore we appeal to our entire grade 12s to use this holiday wisely, using every available opportunity to study.
Grade 12 learners can find additional support material on the Western Cape Education Department's website: http://wced.school.za/home/home.html or they can contact our toll-free telephone number 0800 200 506, for matric support programmes.
Those schools that have been affected by the recent strike are our main priority and we are determined to hold each of these learners hands right up until their final examinations, ensuring that they get all the support they need.
Each of our eight districts has developed holiday plans for learners affected by the strike, including holiday camps, spring schools and tutoring and telematics programmes.
These programmes are particularly targeted at schools in the Metro South and Metro East districts, as this is where the effects of the strike were felt the most.
Here, we are specifically supplementing and enhancing learning to ensure that we offset the effects of the strike. In Metro South, two holiday camps and 31 spring schools will be underway.
In Metro East, 21 spring school programmes and camps have been organised.
The programmes will mainly target subjects such as mathematics, physical sciences, geography, life sciences, economics and accounting.
In schools where the curriculum is yet to be completed, other subjects such as history and business studies will also be addressed.
The Western Cape Department of Education has throughout the strike, done all it can to ensure that the September examinations go ahead as scheduled as we believe it is in the best interests of our learners.
We are pleased that the vast majority of our schools have either completed, or will complete, the examinations by the end of the week. Eleven schools have yet to complete their examinations.
Hout Bay Secondary's examinations have been delayed because of the recent disruptions in Hangberg. However, the remaining 10 schools will have to complete their exams during the school holidays or early in the fourth term because of the impact of the strike. While this is not ideal, we are pleased that this is not more widespread.
It is an extraordinary achievement by our schools and our officials to ensure that only 11 out of over 400 high schools are unable to complete their exams by the end of the third term. I would like to thank our officials for intervening at schools and assisting the school management with new timetables and communications to their grade 12s.
We remain confident that most of our schools will receive feedback and assessment of their exam performance on 4 October or soon after.
As for learners in other grades, we strongly advise that all learners, particularly in the higher grades, use the holiday period for revision and practice purposes.
The Western Cape Department of education has prepared extensive reading lists for learners of all ages, to encourage holiday and leisure time reading.
The reading lists cover the three official languages of the Western Cape and are available on the Western Cape Department of Education's website (see "information for parents"). The books are generally available in school and public libraries.
Finally, I would like to wish all our learners, educators and staff a safe and happy holiday. We have ahead of us a busy fourth term. Among other things, the department will be conducting literacy and numeracy testing for grade 3, 6 and 9s in all our schools and the national senior certificate examinations will begin next month.
Media enquiries:
Bronagh Casey
Tel: 021 467 2377
Cell: 072 7241 422
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government
