OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Friday 2.30pm.
MATRICULATION students whose mother tongue is an African language will have their examination results adjusted upwards to compensate for their having to write exams in a second language, the South African Certification Board said on Friday.
SACB spokesperson Fred Calitz said the new policy comes as a result of a recommendation made by a committee appointed by Education Minister Sibusiso Bengu, which was subsequently accepted by the SACB.
In terms of the new policy, pupils who write an African language on a first-language level, but do not take English or Afrikaans at the same level, will have their marks in other subjects increased by a factor of 1,05. Calitz said the compensation factor has been set at 1,05 initially for 1998 but this could be changed in future.
Reaction to the new policy among educationists was mixed, with some voicing concern at the very idea, while others were worried the compensation factor might be raised in future. However, those in support of the policy hold that it will have little practical effect on the overall pass rate.