Question NW952 to the Minister of Basic Education

Reply:

With reference to her reply to question 61 for oral reply on 11 March 2020, of the total number of 88 685 learners who were allowed to participate in the Multiple Examination Opportunity (MEO) dispensation, what number of learners (a) in each specified district participated in the MEOs, (b) wrote Matric and (c) were allowed to write MEOs in each specified school across the City of Ekurhuleni?                               

Response

Multiple Examination Opportunity (MEO) candidates are learners that are progressed from Grade 11 to Grade 12; and therefore, are allowed to write three or more subjects in their first examination sitting, and the remaining subjects in the second examination sitting.  In the case of the 2019 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination, as indicated by the Minister, there were 88 685 candidates that opted for the Multiple Examination Opportunity (MEO).  These 88 685 candidates wrote three or more subjects in the 2019 NSC examination and they would have written the remaining subjects in the 2020 May/June examination.  However, with the National Lockdown emanating from COVID-19, the 2020 May/June examination has been re-scheduled to be written in October/November 2020, as a combined examination with the October/November 2020 examination.

(a) The number of MEO candidates per district for the October/November 2019 examination is provided as Annexure A.

(b) The number of candidates that would have written the 2020 May/June examination, so as to attain the NSC (Matric) will only be known after the 2020 October/November examination is written.

(c) The number of MEO candidates in the 2019 NSC examination for both the Ekhurhuleni North and Ekhurhuleni South districts is also provided as part of Annexure A.