All matriculants that are COVID-19 positive will be allowed to write their final examinations.
This decision follows an agreement between the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Department of Health (DOH).
According to a media statement released by the DBE, a set of guidelines were previously issued indicating that learners that are COVID-19 positive, would not be allowed to enter the exam centre.
“The department subsequently received representations from parents and learners alike, requesting government to review the protocols. The two departments jointly considered the requests and deliberated on the practical implications,” the statement read.
“It was agreed that candidates that tested 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 exam regulations,” the statement further read.
“The departments will work jointly to ensure that candidates confirmed to be positive, are given an opportunity to sit for the exams while ensuring that safety is being observed.”
Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, welcomed the intervention by the DOH, given that a learner that tests positive becomes the responsibility of the Department of Health and no longer an education issue.
“The initial protocol of the DBE was widely consulted and endorsed by the DOH, but this change in the protocol is very helpful because it will give all learners an opportunity to write their examinations,” Motshekga said.
However, she cautioned that the concessions did not mean that people should now be complacent in terms of the safety measures aimed at preventing the spread of the virus.
According to the statement, it also needs to be noted that learners screened at the entrance of the exam venue displaying a temperature higher than 38°C, will be allowed to write the exam in an isolation venue at the school. The learners will immediately be taken to the isolation venue and after the exam they will not be allowed to socialise with other learners but taken to a health centre for further medical attention.
“The department is committed to ensuring that our learners are provided with the most conducive environment for the writing of this important examination.”
