Port Elizabeth matrics finally get second chance

A group of Ed-U College second-chance matric pupils in Port Elizabeth have seemingly managed to turn tragedy into triumph, following confusion over whether they would be permitted to write their final examinations.

More than 60 pupils did not receive their exam timetable, which included their exam numbers to enable them to write their final exams.

Speaking to The Herald on Thursday, the pupils said they inquired on Monday from the department of education and were told they were not registered.

However, by 6pm on Thursday, the department confirmed with the school that the pupils would be eligible to write their final exams using their ID numbers as identification.

This followed the education department initially denying ever registering Ed-U College as a second chance centre when questioned by The Herald.

“The provincial head of the second-chance programme, Penny Jafta, said Ed-U College was not registered as the second chance centre, and as such we will check where it registered itself and open a case with the police if necessary for the fact that it has defrauded people pretending to be a registered centre while it’s not,” Mtima said.

However, after The Herald received a response from Ed-U College regarding the matter, the department of education backtracked and confirmed that the 68 pupils, while not registered, would be allowed to write anyway.

“Sixty-eight learners are not registered from the centre but we will allow them to write,” Mtima said.

One of the confused pupils, Sinazo Bazi, 18, from Port Elizabeth, said   her previous school did not offer a second chance and she had to look elsewhere.

“It was very shocking when we discovered that we were not registered by the department when the school assured us that we didn’t need to go and submit anything and they will do so for us,” Sinazo said.

She said they were told that those who wrote the English exam on Wednesday should simply write their ID numbers using a pencil on their answer scripts.

“I’ve never heard of a final matric exam without exam number, and another rumour was that we may use our previous year exam number, which was also a jigsaw puzzle,” she said.

Another pupil, Yonela Grootboom, 19, said: “When we went to inquire at the department of education, they said that we should have started there and registered and we don’t have exam numbers.” 

She said she was not sure if the next examinations they write would be valid.

“This whole ID number and not having exam numbers, it’s a worry. I spent a lot of money monthly [between R400 and R1,500 depending on amount subjects], the uncertainty happening is really frustrating.”

Ed-U College founder Lillian Niemann  said the problem was as a result of the department of education having no electricity, at the time of submissions in February, to load their pupils onto the system.

“Despite various interventions from my very competent deputy campus director, Mrs Ferreira Castelyn, and her staff this past year, we could not get the head of exams to upload our students timeously,” she said.

She said the department officials gave Ed-U College part-time candidates verbal permission to write exams using their ID numbers, following repeated attempts by the school to verify the status of the part-time pupils.

Several telephonic, WhatsApp and text-messaging attempts to contact Mtima for comment elicited no response.