While the year 2020 was the most challenging for Grade 12 learners, who were compelled to study from home for almost five months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, school WhatsApp groups and support from teachers have contributed to the positive outcome of the matric results.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced the results of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations in Pretoria on Monday, which saw the national 2020 matric pass rate of 76.2%
Della Cooper, aged 19, from Muriel Brand School for learners with special educational needs was awarded with a Special Ministerial Award.
Della attributed her success to the school teachers and a school’s WhatsApp group organised by the school.
“The WhatsApp group and great support from our teachers helped me throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Although I was nervous prior to the start of the exams, I was confident because we started preparing and did revision long in advance before the exams started.
“My parents also helped me with my school work. I did fall behind … , but I managed to catch-up and I’m happy that my hard work has paid off,” an elated Della told SAnews.
With COVID-19 still with us, Della encouraged this year’s matriculants to continue being at the top of their work.
“Revision is very important and they should keep focus and continue from where they were operating last year,” Della said.
She said the future looks bright for her and she intends to further her studies at one of the universities, where she would be studying a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism Development and Management.
Another top achiever, Takudzwa Chikonye from Bhukulani Senior Secondary School in Soweto, admits that at the beginning it was difficult to study alone without the teachers in front of them, but thanks to the teachers’ assistance, he was able to focus on his studies and completed all the tasks submitted by the school teachers through a WhatsApp group.
“They [teachers] gave us stuff to do and topics to do research on, and this helped me a lot, including the previous papers. When the exams started, I was anxious and scared but I told myself that I’m going to relax and stay focussed,” the 17-year-old Takudzwa told SAnews.
Takudzwa scooped the third place for top learners in Physical Science, nationally.
“I’m excited but I’m a bit scared because it is going to be the first time living alone without my parents. I’m looking forward to the new challenge,” Takudzwa said.
His advice to this year’s Grade 12 learners is to focus on their studies.
“I admit that there’s lot of pressure from peers but they should focus on their studies, and forget about destruction from outside.”
Takudzwa’s father, Taurani Chikonye, encouraged parents to speak positively to their children, as opposed to putting pressure on them.
“Find out what your child is good at, and support them. He didn’t have a laptop or computer, but we made sure that he had enough data for his research and we also relieved him from most house chores.
“For him, there was no pandemic. He was very disciplined and didn’t use the COVID-19 as an excuse for not pushing himself. What is happening today is overwhelming, and I’m so emotional. I’m not able to hold back the tears,” said an emotional Chikonye. – SAnews.gov.za
Learners with special education needs achieved a combined total of 653 distinctions, in the 2020 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga made this announcement at a ceremony held at the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), which was joined by the provinces, via video link.
Addressing Monday’s event, Motshekga said out of the 2 161 learners with special education needs who enrolled for the NSC exams, 2 058 wrote the examinations.
“[A total] 1 757 learners with special education needs passed the 2020 exams,” she said.
Of these learners, 943 and 582 of them achieved Bachelor and Diploma passes, respectively.
Meanwhile, 204 obtained Higher Certificates while 28 received NSC passes.
“Learners with special education needs achieved a total of six hundred and fifty-three (653) distinctions, including distinctions in the critical subjects,” she said at the ceremony held at GCIS head office in Pretoria.
In the year that COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, a total 725 034 candidates registered for the 2020 exams of which 607 226 were full-time candidates, and 117 808 were part-time candidates.
More girl learners sit for NSC exams
The Class of 2020 had more girl learners than boys.
“There were 72 030 more girls than boys, who enrolled for the 2020 NSC examinations; and there were 66 626 more girls than boys, who actually wrote the 2020 NSC examinations.
“Overall, there was 75.8% girls, and 76.7% boys who passed the 2020 NSC exams,” said the Minister.
More girls than boys achieved Bachelor and Diploma passes, as well as passes with distinctions.
These distinctions include passes with distinction in critical subjects such as Accounting, Business Studies, Economics, Mathematics, and Physical Science.
Maintaining the pass rate
Despite a strenuous academic year, the Class of 2020 maintained the above 70% pass rate seen in recent years.
“The Class of 2020 must be commended for maintaining this trend. The 2020 NSC overall pass rate, with the progressed learners included, stands at 76.2% – a decline of 5.1% from the record pass of 81.3% achieved by the Class of 2019.
“This represents a record of 440 702 passes – an increase of 7.5% in the number of passes from 2019. Without the progressed learners, the overall pass rate stands at 81.2% – a 1.1% decline from 2019.”
Motshekga lauded the high quality passes achieved this year, particularly the number of Bachelor and Diploma passes, the overall pass mark, and the passes with distinctions, even in critical subjects.
COVID-19 impact
“We are of the strong view that, had it not been for the novel COVID-19 pandemic, the Class of 2020 could have been the best performers, since the inception of the National Senior Certificate. We are indeed proud of the Class of 2020, which persevered against such monumental challenges that our system was never exposed to in the past.”
The Minister said those who sat for the exams characterised the resilience of the system, “which withstood an unprecedented test of administering an examination of the largest number of candidates; faced by the worst pandemic in human history”.
Motshekga said the 2020 academic year will be remembered as the year that, not only presented major health challenges, but a year when the entire world was engulfed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Government with its education departments and its strategic partners, worked very hard to strike a balance between saving lives and the 2020 academic year.
The matric exams, which concluded on 15 December 2020, saw 147 question papers being set
