The final countdown for the annual National Senior Certificate exams has begun across the country. However, the Department of Education says Eskom’s power crisis is a thorn in its side.
Power cuts have been a heavy burden to bear for all South Africans – from entrepreneurs struggling to hold on to their businesses to schoolchildren plunged into darkness almost every evening when they need to study.
Department of Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga raised the department’s concerns in an article that appeared in The Sowetan this week, saying it was in talks with the power utility.
He said the department continued to liaise closely with Eskom, the security cluster, provincial education departments, and other relevant stakeholders to manage the risks posed by load shedding, such as learners being unable to study at home and other security-related matters.
In recent weeks, Eskom was forced to implement stage-4 load shedding following the tripping of a generation unit at each of the Kendal and Lethabo power stations. This week, the power utility announced stage-2 load shedding, which will continue until Thursday before dropping to stage 1 on Friday.
"We are continuing to voice our concerns anyway, just so they (Eskom) remain aware regarding the impact of power cuts on the work we do,“ Mhlanga told The Sowetan.
Further in the article, Eskom spokesperson Sikhonathi Mantshantsha said the utility could not say what the load-shedding situation would be come the final exam period.
Mantshantsha has continually said that load shedding is only implemented as a last resort when power stations have broken down.
The 2022 National Senior Certificate final exams are expected to run from October 31 to December 7. Some 755 981 matric pupils will be sitting for the school-leaving qualification.
For the spring camps, Mhlanga told IOL there were lodges with generators that would assist learners if load shedding took place.
"At the camps, the establishments used are lodges that are already prepared for load shedding.“
Some learners might want to study at night at schools that do not have generators. However, in order that their safety not be compromised, Mhlanga advised learners to rather study at home at night.
"Schools that do not have generators conduct daytime classes over the weekend and therefore require no electricity," he said.
He wished the Grade 12 pupils well and advised them to work hard, study every day, ask for help, use past question papers, and be consistent.
EDUCATION