President Cyril Ramaphosa extended well wishes to the Class of 2024, as they began writing the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams on Monday, and assured that all the necessary systems are in place to ensure the exam period runs smoothly.

Just over 880 000 candidates will sit this year’s matric exams.

Ramaphosa wrote in his weekly letter to the nation that these exams are the culmination of many years of hard work, perseverance and resilience, which he said was often in the face of difficult odds.

He pointed out that the Class of 2024 entered Grade 8 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and had to receive considerable learning support to overcome the resultant gaps in their learning.

"The annual matric exam period is a period to reflect on the scale of the efforts to absorb these young people into economic activity once they have attained the results they have worked so hard for," he said.

He further applauded learners who will be rewriting the matric exams this year, having taken advantage of the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE's) Second Chance Programme.

“Your determination to improve your academic prospects does you credit. It is a life lesson on the importance of not giving up," he said.

Ramaphosa noted the DBE’s and qualification standards authority Umalusi’s work to audit the more than 9 200 exam centres, appoint and vet exam markers, and approve question papers.

These include adapted question papers for learners with special needs.

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said a total of 162 quality-assured papers have been approved by Umalusi for this year's NSC exams.

She explained that all exam materials will be stored under strict conditions, and provincial education departments have been equipped with standard operating procedures to ensure the safe and secure handling of question papers from printing to distribution.

"Furthermore, distribution trucks will be equipped with tracking systems to monitor their movements and ensure that question papers reach exam centres on time and without compromise. As a department, we will monitor some 6 334 public schools and 575 independent centres where examinations will be conducted," she said.

Additional invigilators have been appointed, some examination centres will employ CCTV and security has been stepped up at exam venues to minimise disruptions.

Gwarube highlighted that once the exams are completed, the focus will shift to the marking process, which she said is a critical part of ensuring the credibility and fairness of the NSC exams.

She pointed out that the Department has appointed over 55 000 qualified markers across 188 marking centres nationwide, who have been selected based on "strict criteria" to ensure that only experienced and qualified educators participate in the marking process.

To further ensure consistency and fairness, Marking Standardisation Meetings will be held for each subject, she added.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Meanwhile, Ramaphosa pointed to the unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 24, which stands at 60.8%, reiterating his call on employers to relax the requirement of prior work experience, particularly for entry-level positions, and for entry into vocational occupations where young employees can be trained on the job.

"Just as preparing our nation’s young people to achieve success in this exam is a collaborative effort, there is much more that partners like the private sector can do to hire young people," Ramaphosa said.

He called on employers to take advantage of incentives to encourage them to hire more young people.

"...these include various sectoral learnership agreements, discretionary grants for skills training, and the Employee Tax Incentive," he highlighted.

Ramaphosa said employers must open up more opportunities for young South Africans entering the job market.

"They need to remember that by law they have to ensure that no suitable South African citizen or permanent resident is available to fill a position before employing a foreign national. This is established practice around the world," he said.