The mid-year matric exams are set to make a comeback this year after they were stopped over the past three consecutive years because of disruptions to schooling caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The grade 10 and 11 mid-year as well as final exams are also being reintroduced after they were canned in 2020.
This is according to circulars sent out by the national department of basic education and Western Cape and Eastern Cape provincial education departments.
In a circular dated January 9, Ray Tywakadi, deputy director-general for curriculum management and delivery in Eastern Cape, said the June exams for matrics could take the form of controlled tests, but this option may be prescribed by the provincial education department.
He said June controlled tests would be offered to grades 4 to 9 pupils.
Reacting to the reintroduction of the exams, Prof Loyiso Jita, dean of the education faculty at the University of the Free State, said it “signals the return to normal schooling routines”.
“It is a positive signal to tell us that we have overcome the pandemic. In another sense, it's a message by the system to emphasise the need to measure and benchmark teaching and learning at various grades and at various points in time. That is what quality assurance is about.”
He said instead of testing just for resulting purposes, “we should do it to enable data informed improvements within the system”.
His colleague from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Prof Labby Ramrathan, said assessments came into sharp focus during the pandemic and a lot of lessons were learnt.
The relative stability has enabled the system to make great progress in the recovery process. The system has been returning to full curriculum implementation and assessments are also being reintroduced.
— Elijah Mhlanga, basic education department spokesperson
“For example, a sustained focus on assessment of learning is now being reviewed, and assessment for learning is taking [hold]. Going forward, I see major changes to the assessment regimes across school grades.”
He said grades 7 to 9 taking full-scale, end-of-year exams is an attempt to retain summative exams as a grade transition mechanism.
“Deep learning is lost as pupils (and teachers) will continue to learn (and teach) to exams rather than focusing on developing the grade-level competence.”
Prof Chika Sehoole, dean of the education faculty at the University of Pretoria, said assessments were used to measure quality, “so I am happy that grades 10 and 11 pupils will be exposed to these exams”.
“It is also part of the preparations for the final exams in matric. These pupils should get used to formal assessment and testing of their knowledge and skills. This will also assist them in dealing with disappointment in the event results are not as they want them to be.”
Sehoole said exams for grades 7 to 9 pupils were “vital for the pupils’ growth and development”.
Basic education department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said there were no disruptions to schools last year and “the relative stability has enabled the system to make great progress in the recovery process”.
“The system has been returning to full curriculum implementation and assessments are also being reintroduced.
“The pupils have enjoyed uninterrupted learning, and we believe they are ready for assessments as they used to happen before.”
Mhlanga said at some point the system needed to return to pre-Covid scheduling with all the pillars in the system.
“Whether the pupils are ready or not [for the exams] will depend on their performance once the mid-year exams are written.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.