A group of ten learners at the G4S correction services’ Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein are writing their final National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, which officially started on Monday, 21 October.
They are part of this year’s cohort of the Free State’s 44 545 candidates (37 583 full-time and 6 962 part-time) writing the examination.
The correctional centre has made it possible for the aspirant group to write at the Liberty Secondary School, which officially opened on 9 October. Candidates will also be writing subjects that include Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and languages such as English, Sotho, Xhosa and Afrikaans.
December Moloi, director of the Free State Department of Education in the Motheo district, said the school performed well in the previous NSC examinations, adding that he was confident of an improved performance this year. The provincial department of education has set the target to achieve a 90% pass rate and a 50% bachelor-level pass rate this year, to improve on last year’s pass rate of 89,03%.
The province contributed to the improvement of last year’s national matric pass rate, which increased with 2,8% from the 80,1% pass rate in 2022.
The school at the correctional centre also caters for inmates who aspire to attain a matric certificate through Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) programmes for those who never had the opportunity to attend school.
