Nomonde Radebe of the High School General Hertzog in eMalahleni and Itha Wessels of Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool in Pretoria, launched an urgent application for Grade 12s not to rewrite two leaked exam papers. And they won their case. They also aced their matric exams.
Pretoria - The pupils who took on the Department of Basic Education regarding the rewriting of leaked matric papers have proven that they had genuinely prepared well for the exams.
Itha Wessels of Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool in Pretoria and Nomonde Radebe of the High School General Hertzog in eMalahleni in December launched an urgent application for Grade 12s not to rewrite two leaked exam papers. And they won their case.
The two maintained from the start that it would be unfair for everyone to rewrite the leaked maths paper 2 and physical science paper 2, as most learners, including them, had prepared for the exams.
This proved to be true when the results were released on Tuesday.
Itha scored the highest marks in her school for life orientation – a whopping 97%. She scored more than 80% in five of her subjects, including 90% for English as first additional language. The two subjects in which she nearly scored 80% she will have remarked.
She said writing during Covid-19 proved challenging, including writing a three-hour subject in the summer, with a mask on all the time.
Nomonde shared this sentiment and said wearing a mask and trying to breathe and think, was not easy.
“But with time I got used to it. I also struggled with the online learning and the pressures of this.”
While scoring over 80% in two subjects – life orientation and accounting – Nomonde missed 80% by 1% when she scored 79% for business studies.
Apart from maths, for which she scored 66%, she scored 70% for the remainder of her subjects.
“My marks are not what I initially wanted, but I did my best in a very impossible year,” Nomonde said.
Both she and Itha are proud of their legal challenge which was brought under difficult circumstances.
“I’d given my best in those exams and I truly believe we should not suffer because of a few wrongdoers,” Nomonde said.
Itha said after working hard and constantly towards the maths and science exams, she was relieved to have finished them, and felt at the time that things went well, as her results now show.
“If I had to rewrite the subjects, I would not have performed as well as I did.”
Her advice to the class of 2021 is to start studying early, so they are ready for whatever the year throws at them.
Itha will apply this advice while studying a BSc in biological science.
Nomonde, who will be studying a BCom economics, has similar advice.
“Work hard and do not let your circumstances define your future.”
Pretoria News
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