Students left confused by phasing out of Technical Matric N3 National Senior Certificate for Colleges in 2020 while disadvantages brought by Covid in 2020 are ignored

Hi.

I hope this message and your assistance (urgent) will assist tens of thousand of students who are being affected by the changes Umalusi brought on the phasing out of Technical Matric N3 National Senior Certificate for Colleges in 2020 while Covid effects were ignore.

To be straight to the point; Umalusi was offering a Senior Certificate for out of school students (mainly college students) who are doing Nated studies of N1-N3. When the students finish four subjects in their N3 studies, they had the option of adding two languages-Business English and Sake Afrikaans to make it into a senior certificate. This has been the case for more than 20 years. However Umalusi phased that out the two languages in November 2020 with the aim to introduce a new curriculum called NASCA from 2021. Please see the website of Umalusi on the memo of the phasing out of this Technical Matric: https://www.umalusi.org.za/2019/09/the-national-senior-certificate-colleges-to-be-phased-out-from-january-2021/

In 2020, students did write the exams for the last time and as we all know, some where not able to sit for exams due to Covid 19 related issues. These students are desperately wishing to be given a chance again to write. Colleges have appealed to Umalusi to bring the two languages for the last time in November 2021 but this seems to be falling on deaf ears.

We are appealing to those who appear in Umalusi briefings to bring to Umalusi CEO and the staff accountability and support for students (adults) whose only hope of getting their matric was this Technical Matric.

The appeal for colleges is that since Umalusi is failing to bring NASCA till 2023, then the Technical Matric N3 must remain active for this year and if possible another year till NASCA option is provided. This will give a change to those thousands of students who are lacking some only one language and some both languages to write them and also obtain their Senior Certificate. This is urgent as the November time for the languages to be written is drawing closer and closer so that students prepare.