603 MATRIC PUPILS TO WRITE UNDER IEB

SITEKI – There could be light at the end of the tunnel in saving the future of 603 Eswatini pupils doing Matric.

The pupils will now write their exams under the Independent Examinations Board (IEB). The IEB is a South African assessment agency that conducts assessment for schooling and adult education. The IEB’s objective is to ensure that there is at least one non-racial assessment body at Grade 12 during the time of apartheid to serve progressive schools that stood in opposition to the apartheid policies of the day. The IEB examinations are set to start in November, while the Matric examinations are slated to commence in October or November. The local centre, U-Tech High, normally hosts Matric exams for pupils from 10 schools locally namely; Milestone, Mbalenhle Academy, Diamond Valley, Harrolds, Pro-Learning and Phumelela. The rest are Hillside, Wem, Bookville and the host (U-Tech High). The IEB is accredited by Umalusi for examinations in schooling and adult education.

Requirement

It has also been appointed as the Assessment Quality Partner for the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) for Foundational Learning Competence, a requirement in occupational qualifications at Levels 3 and 4 of the National Quality Framework (NQF). This is taking place after there was uncertainty about the Matric examinations this year, following that the Minister of the Department of Basic Education in South Africa, Angie Motshekga, announced the halting of writing Matric exams outside South Africa. Representatives of schools offering Matric in Eswatini said Minister of Education and Training Lady Mabuza informed them that she was awaiting feedback from her counterpart in South Africa, after having met to discuss the issue of Matric examinations last month. Pro-Learning Christian Academy owner Ernest Magongo, said even though they were still waiting for the feedback from the minister, they had already agreed in principle with the Board of the IEB to have the local pupils who were supposed to write the Matric examinations sit for the IEB examinations this year.

Meeting

Magongo shared that after Mabuza’s meeting with her counterpart in South Africa, the minister then summoned them to a meeting to update them on what transpired during her meeting with Motshekga. Magongo stated that the minister then facilitated a virtual meeting with the senior officials at IEB and the Examination Council of Eswatini (ECESWA) together with the local schools offering Matric examinations to pave way that could ensure that the pupils sit for their examinations this year under the IEB. Adding, the school owner said the minister advised them that they were supposed to have a second option considering that the South African Government had openly told her that allowing the Matric examinations to be written outside their borders was against their Constitution. Magongo said under the IEB examination, parents were expected to fork out about E1 300 per subject. “The IEB examination is almost similar to our International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE). Our pupils will be writing the IEB exams but if some are not ready they can sit in June next year. There is little difference from the syllabuses of IEB and our IGCSE. The IEB have agreed in principle that they will allow our pupils to sit for their examination even though it is more expensive that the Matric examinations,” he said.

Furthermore, Magongo said he engaged parents of the pupils about the latest development and they understood the situation. He mentioned that schools were further advised to host education workshops for their educators to orient them about the IEB programme. Hillside High Administrator Lazarus Masamhiri, said even though they were still waiting for feedback from the minister, they were informed that their pupils would be allowed to write the IEB examination. “The IEB told us that they will allow us to write their examinations this year pending the current status of the Matric examinations,” he said. Director of Education Ntombenhle Dlamini briefly said the ministry was waiting for a feedback from their counterpart in South Africa.

Allowed

The minister said the local schools offering Matric examinations have been allowed to write their examinations under IEB this year. “We met with Angie and her legal team who unpacked the constitutional challenges of allowing another country to sit their examinations and they informed us that they will come back to us. We have been waiting since but it is evident that they have made their stance clear in this matter that they will not allow emaSwati to sit for the Matric examinations. I have also managed to engage IEB to ensure that the pupils are allowed to sit for their examination as it is almost similar to ours,” she said. Mabuza said she also encouraged and advised the local schools offering Matric examinations to migrate and offer the IEB examination as it was almost similar to the local examinations.

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