Appeal to rail and taxi associations to assist with learner transport

On Wednesday, the 23rd of October, the National Senior Certificate examinations begin.

At times, there will be over 62 000 full and part-time candidates making their way to their examination venues across the Province. What is important is that they get there safely and on time.

Many of these candidates rely on public transport. It is therefore always a concern that trains may be delayed or cancelled, or that there is a sudden strike of bus operators, or taxi drivers.

Any of these scenarios could have serious consequences for learners who cannot make alternative arrangements.

A candidate arriving later than one hour will not be allowed to write the examination at all and will have to make use of the supplementary examinations next year in June.

Candidates may be admitted into an examination room provided they arrive within one hour of the exam starting. However, a learner arriving within the one-hour period will still have to complete the exam by the same time as other candidates. I.e. if there is a 3-hour exam and a candidate arrives 30 minute late, then the candidate will have only 2 and half hours to complete the examination.

Therefore arriving late will ultimately put the candidate at a disadvantage.

We, as the Ministers for Transport and Public Works and for Education, have discussed these concerns and appeal to all public transport operators to assist us in ensuring that candidates get to their exam centres on time.

We sincerely hope that we will have their support, and the support of other road users and communities, during this very important time for our matric learners.

Comment by Minister Schafer:

“While we hope to have the support of public transport operators during this period, we also have to be aware that accidents or other events can happen. Roads could be blocked, traffic may be heavy. So I appeal to candidates to leave home early so as to make up for ANY possible delays. Learners should aim to get to a venue early, rather than risk being late,” said Schafer.

“We also want you to arrive at your centres calm and prepared, not distressed and tense. So avoid, as far as possible, rushing to a venue.”

Comment by Minister Madikizela:

" This is a crucial time for learners and no one must miss an exam because of public transport challenges. I am appealing to all of our public transport partners to take the necessary steps to ensure that scholars traveling to and from their examinations are not disrupted in any way during this period. We must work together to prevent any unnecessary disruption to our learners during this time. We are committed to working closely with our public transport partners, SANTACO, Metrorail, Golden Arrow Bus Services and MyCity, to provide the necessary support to make sure that no scholar is prejudiced. By getting our learners at school on time, our transport partners are securing their future. Parents and learners must make use of the available avenues to report delays that may threaten their getting to their examinations on time" said Minister Madikizela.

For information on all public transport, commuters can call the Transport for Cape Town Information Centre on 0800 65 64 63 (Toll-free from a landline) where trained consultants will assist. This is a 24-hour call centre. They can also contact www.capemetrorail.co.za or www.gometro.mobi or on twitter @CapeTownTrains for train schedules and updates.