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Marking of matrix jobs will begin on Monday.
- Teachers unions say they will monitor Covid-19 hotspots.
- Markers have been asked to take personal responsibility for ensuring that infection does not occur at tagging centers.
- The Department of Basic Education says it has implemented strict Covid-19 protocols at the rating centers.
Teachers’ unions have encouraged teachers to take personal responsibility for ensuring that matriculation exams are graded without incident.
On Monday, 45,000 tuition test markers will begin the task of grading 14 million writings at 181 centers across the country. The markup is expected to end on January 22 and the results of the matrices will be released on February 23.
The Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, has published a list of Covid-19 protocols that will be implemented in the marking centers. These include screening at the entrance of each marking center and placing those with Covid-19 symptoms in an isolation room.
READ | Ready, set, ready for matrix marking: 14 million scripts, 18 days, 45,000 markers, and strict health protocols
The teachers’ unions say that while they are happy with the department’s protocols, the ultimate responsibility rests with markers and center staff.
“The plans that the department has are good on paper and it will depend on the attitude of the teachers and officials. They need to think about their families, about their community. You can’t come from dialing in and go to a shebeen. You have to go directly to home Their attitude should be that of not wanting to be the one to bring the virus to the center, “said Mugwena Maluleke, secretary of the Democratic Teachers Union of South Africa.
The executive director of the National Organization of Professional Teachers of South Africa, Basil Manuel, said that the main concern of the union is the markers that will move every day.
“Not everyone can be residential and that, for us, has been a problem but we understand it. We hope that markers are responsible in their attitudes. You are in control of your destiny. If you leave the center and go to an illegal tavern, what do you think will happen the next day? It is everyone’s behavior that will make this a success. Officials must be consistent to ensure protocols are adhered to and our markers must also take responsibility for their own health and safety. “Manuel said.
He said the union will monitor Covid-19 hotspots like the Western Cape, Gauteng, and the uMgungundlovu municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.
“We need to make sure the provincial departments are implementing the protocols correctly, especially in hotspot areas,” Manuel said.
He said that when the high-level markers arrived at the centers, they had received reports from the Western Cape about good screening protocols and concerns at Germiston in Ekurhuleni, where workers had to wait for the scanners to be delivered.
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