Grade 12 pupils who test positive for Covid-19 will be allowed to write their final National Senior Certificate (NSC) exam, but in isolation, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) announced.
A statement issued by the DBE said both the DBE and the Department of Health agreed that pupils with Covid-19 should not be exempt from writing their finals. The two government departments agreed on special protocols to accommodate those pupils.
Initially the DBE said pupils who test positive for Covid-19 would be excluded from writing the exams.
The change of heart came after pupils and parents made representations to the departments.
From @DBE_SA and @HealthZA pic.twitter.com/rE4ZlxWFBq
— Elijah Mhlanga (@ElijahMhlanga) November 4, 2020
“It was agreed that candidates who test positive, and deemed fit to write the examination will be allowed to write albeit at a different venue and under secure conditions that are in compliance with the examination regulations,” the DBE said.
The DBE said it would work jointly with the health department to ensure that safety is observed during the examination.
“We welcome the intervention by the Department of Health given that a pupil that tests positive becomes a responsibility of the Department of Health and no longer and education issue. The initial protocol of the Department of Basic Education was widely consulted and endorsed by the Department of Health, but this change in the protocol is vert helpful because it will give all pupils an opportunity to write their examinations,” said Education Minister Angie Motshekga.
Pupils who are screened at the entrance of the exam centres or venues and display a temperature that is higher than 38 degrees Celcius will write their exam in isolation. Thereafter the pupil will be taken to a health facility for further medical attention.