Staff Reporter
Several schools in the Free State remained open in December last year to allow Grade 11 learners to finish the syllabus and prepare for their final year in high school.
Education MEC Tate Makgoe said this had to be done in some schools in order to make up for lost time when schools were forced to close for several months last year in a bid to curb the spread of the coronovirus.
Makgoe, who was speaking during a visit to schools in Mangaung by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga on Thursday, said the matric class of this year, unlike that of last year, has lost more learning and teaching time over the past two years.
“This is concerning . . . we have lost a lot of teaching time,” he said.
“Some of the schools in the province opened around December to ensure that we covered some of the topics that were not covered last year.
“You understand that Grade 10 and 11 are part of matric.”
Makgoe said efforts were being made in schools across the province to ensure learners sitting for the National Senior Certificate examinations are well prepared for them by the end of the year.
He said the lost time over the past year should not disadvantage the matric class of 2021, hence the catch-up initiative.
“If you don’t have enough foundation in Grade 10 and 11 that might pose a challenge in the final year of high school,” the MEC explained.
“So, we are trying by all means to use any available time to catch up.
“Some schools had winter classes and we will be having Saturday classes, extra-classes and online teaching where learners can also access lessons.”
Makgoe said the material taught in Grades 11 and 12 is very important not just for the exam but for their entire academic life and therefore they have to learn the entire curriculum.
“In Grade 11 and 12 we are not going to trim the curriculum. We have to make sure that we cover everything,” he pointed out.