Grade 12 students who fail all their matric exams are unable to repeat the academic year at the school they previously attended.
According to the Department of Basic Education, these students are only permitted to register for the midyear supplementary exams, where they can rewrite a maximum of three subjects at their former school due to capacity limitations..
However, if students fail seven or eight subjects, they are unable to rewrite all of them at the same school. In such cases, those wishing to rewrite all their subjects must enroll at government or private centers specializing in matric exam rewrites, as stated by education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga.
Mhlanga emphasized that priority would be given to current Grade 12 students. He discussed this matter with City Press prior to the release of last year's matric results. The National Senior Certificate results will be announced on January 18 and released to students the following day.
According to Mhlanga, the department has never encountered a student who failed and needed to rewrite all their matric subjects. Therefore, it would be impractical to allow them to repeat all the failed subjects at the same school. However, students are permitted to rewrite their exams at a different school. Mhlanga explained that requiring schools to accommodate such requests would exceed their capacity.
Mhlanga stated:
"This would force schools to do something they are not equipped to handle. It's a practical matter, not a policy. Our goal is to support you in passing Grade 12 and moving forward; we don't anticipate you needing to repeat. If you fail, we encourage you to register for the May and June exams, not to repeat the entire year at school."
Mhlanga emphasized that there are opportunities for students to rewrite their exams. They can arrange with the school to rewrite specific subjects or seek assistance from a teacher for a particular subject. However, it does not make sense for students to repeat subjects they have already passed.
A 24-year-old student who rewrote two subjects at their former school to improve their results expressed dissatisfaction with the denial of the opportunity for matric students to repeat at the same school. They argued that some students require more time to comprehend certain subjects and would likely succeed the following year under the guidance of familiar teachers who understand their learning strategies.
A teacher mentioned that the department has introduced specific finishing schools as part of an intervention program. These schools exclusively cater to Grade 12 students who previously failed. Each area has one such school to accommodate all the students who failed, employing qualified teachers to assist them throughout the day.
However, attending the intervention program requires an agreement between the student, parents, and teacher. Additionally, there are private centers available for Grade 12 repeaters, where they can repeat all seven or eight subjects. These centers operate differently from mainstream schools, as there is no follow-up or parental involvement if students do not attend. Whether students pass or fail, it does not pose a problem for these centers, and students are treated like college students, according to the teacher.
