​Thembisa Shologu
Department of Basic Education announced that the final National Senior Certificate examination timetable has been amended to accommodate the accommodate Local Government Elections.
 The final examination will now start on 27 October 2021, not 1 November as initially scheduled.  
"The changes were necessitated by the local government elections which will take place on 1 November 2021. Learners eligible to vote would now be able to cast their ballots," spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said.
In May 2021, the Council of Education (CEM) approved the 2021 NSC examination Timetable. However last week, the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma announced that the local government elections would take place on 1 November 2021.
The department held consultations with key stakeholders that included Teacher Unions, School governing Body Associations and Professional Bodies.
"The purpose of the consultation sessions was to deliberate on what would be the most appropriate option regarding a change to the timetable, given that there are five weeks away from the commencement of the examination." 
About 207 question papers are to be written over 25 days with no vacant sessions in the current 25-day timetable, hence the rescheduling prior to the commencement date.
"The best interest of the learner was a key consideration in addition to ensuring that a minimum change to the current timetable was made to avoid confusion," said Mhlanga. 
The Department has urged candidates to prepare for the examination to keep working hard.   
"The Department has made available a wide range of resources to assist the learners with support materials on different platforms through the Remote and Digital Learning Programme Woza Matrics," Mhlanga said. 
Learning materials will be delivered across these channels DBETV channel 122 on Openview, SABC1, DSTV CatchUp & Showmax, Mondays and Thursdays 23h00 to 00h00, Saturdays 06h00 to 10h00, and Sundays 07h00 to 08h00. The DBE TV is a 24/7 channel with more matric-focused revision evening programmes. 
The Woza Matrics programme also has some psycho-social support, tutor support, and exciting competitions available on:  www.wozamatrics.co.za and other all social media platforms. ​