Duduza – The community of Duduza gathered in prayer and lit candles at the Duduza Resource Centre on October 18 to pray for all matriculants who are to start writing their final exams on October 21.
Takatso Motaung in partnership with God Intervention Youth Development team (GIY), Bishop Blessing Ndlovu, Churches Praying for Moral Restoration (CPMR) team and the Department of Education organised this initiative.
Every community member and matric learner from Duduza was invited to join the service. Motaung said the purpose of the candle-lighting ceremony was to empower, encourage and give hope to the learners.
“This was an initiative to show matric learners that the community and churches around them wish them well in their final examinations. We wanted to remind them that prayer is important before writing,” he said.
The community of Duduza gathered in prayer at the Duduza Resource Centre.
He added that the aim of the candle-lighting service was to:
• Provide emotional support and encouragement.• Foster a sense of community and unity among matriculates.• Offer a moment of reflection and calm before the exams.• Inspire confidence, strength, and resilience.
He said the candlelit service aimed to assist matriculants by providing them with strength, courage, and hope, saying it might help reduce stress and anxiety as well.
“The main aim was to provide all these learners with words of encouragement. We encouraged them to remain focused and determined. We had to remind them of their capabilities and potential,” he added.
Learners were required by the Department of Education to sign a National Senior Certificate pledge at the ceremony.
The Council of Education Ministers (CEM) resolved in 2013 that candidates registered to write the National Senior Certificate examinations are required to sign a pledge committing to follow the examination code of conduct applicable to all candidates during the exams.
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Gauteng MEC of Education Matome Chiloane said in a statement the rationale behind the signing of the pledge process is that it will assist with the curbing and control of examination irregularities.
“It is imperative for every school to hold this formal ceremony, as we are doing this to empower each candidate to affirm their dedication to integrity and excellence in their academic journey.
“This pledge is not just a formality, it is a powerful commitment to uphold ethical standards and combat examination irregularities,” said Chiloane.
He added that by taking this proactive approach, we are not only fostering a culture of honesty but also ensuring a fair and just examination process for every candidate.
“We aim to prevent issues before they arise. We stand united in our resolve to create an environment where integrity prevails, and we ensure a fair and transparent examination process for all,” added Chiloane.
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The statement further highlighted that candidates were reminded that:• No disruptive or dishonest behaviour will be tolerated in any examination room.
• They are not to disrupt any examination proceedings while in the examination room, as this will lead to immediate removal from the examination room and such candidates will be barred from continuing to write the examination paper.
• If they are found guilty of any act of dishonesty, they will not only have their results nullified, but they will be barred from the stipulated number of future examination cycles depending on the severity of their dishonesty.
• There are dire consequences to acts of dishonesty and understand that such acts impact directly on them being able to complete the NSC qualification.
• Besides cellphones not being allowed in exam rooms, no wristwatches are allowed either – this is to eliminate all possible means via which learners can access and/or share information digitally and online while writing their examination.
• Cellphones and watches found in the possession of candidates after they have entered the exam room will be confiscated and will be kept to use as evidence in cases involving acts of dishonesty.
Chiloane urged all candidates to ignore NSC question papers doing rounds on social media, as these are false versions of question papers being distributed by unscrupulous individuals looking to make easy money.
“I encourage learners to rather put in the time behind their school books to ensure that they are ready for the examination instead of being misled by false versions of question paper,” he mentioned.
Takatso Motaung in partnership with different stakeholders and individuals orginised the candle-lighting ceremony for matric learners.
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