Fazda
Honorary Master
The following article has left me with a case of hypertension, as I watch this crazy lady who has been put in charge of Education, making yet abother unholy mess of things!!
FIRST she blows 2.2 million rand on TWO BMW's for herself...now she begins another costly and unnecessary exercise like this one, seemingly to underline her incompetence!!
The people who are going to suffer at her hands are the underfunded schools and pupils, from whom she is taking the money!! the woman should be fired...the sooner the better!!!
By Angelique Serrao and Kutlwano Olifant
Last year's matrics still don't have their National Senior Certificate because the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, wanted the document redesigned to give the coat of arms more prominence.
The 2008 matric results were released nearly nine months ago.
Since then, pupils from around the country have been going back to their old schools asking for their certificates because some universities, other higher learning institutions and companies have requested they hand in certified copies of the certificate.
But no school in the country has received the certificates.
In June, Umalusi, the statutory body responsible for producing the NSC, announced there would be a delay in the printing of the certificates.
Umalusi said the delay was caused by Motshekga, who wanted the current design format changed to ensure the national coat of arms was given more prominence.
It was requested that the coat of arms be bigger and be placed in the middle of the page. On the previous certificates it was placed on the side and is quite small.
Usually the matric certificates are printed within a week of receipt of the final results, which is normally before the end of May.
"Umalusi's certificates are printed on watermark paper for security reasons. (The paper is) sourced overseas," a previously released statement read.
"The process has been expedited and a consignment of this special paper has already been ordered."
Delivery of the paper was expected in the middle of August, and the printing should be completed at the end of the month, that statement said.
Umalusi spokeswoman Alison Spratley said the special watermark paper with the original design had already been delivered and the body was waiting for instruction from the department to print the certificates when the instruction was given to them to change the design and reorder the paper.
"But Umalusi will re-use the paper for other things so it has not been wasted," Spratley said.
She said a new consignment of the special paper with the new design had been ordered, and they were waiting for delivery.
Spratley would not reveal how much money was being spent on the newly designed certificates.
Students from the University of Johannesburg were worried last month after receiving a letter asking for their NSC.
The deputy registrar and head of the student enrolment centre at Wits University, Carol Crosley, said the late release of the results was not an issue because students could obtain a statement of results.
Department of Education spokesman Granville Whittle said nobody should be disadvantaged over the delay because pupils had received a printout of their marks earlier this year.
Another university told The Star they had to buy an electronic version of the matric results from the Department of Education in order to verify the marks.
Juanita Kloppers-Lourens, the DA's shadow minister for basic education, said she believed that the minister was focusing on trivialities.
"Her focus is totally wrong. Her interest is in window-dressing when education is in a crisis. We should be looking at the basics, and the basics are not printing a bigger coat of arms. It's unacceptable and we need to demand an explanation," she said.
Mahlomola Kekana from the National Association of Parents in School Governance said they were shocked that school-leavers did not yet have their certificates.
"It impacts on our kids. Most companies need their official certificate to apply for jobs. A statement with their symbols is not enough and they won't be considered for jobs," he said.
Kekana said there needed to be urgent intervention to ensure that matrics received their certificates soon.
"There is an obligation on the part of the national Department of Education to issue certificates to learners timeously," he added.
"This is just embarrassing. Add to that the idea that next year's results will only be announced in January, and we have a department that seems to be buying time. At whose expense is this delay? If the minister wanted to change the design, why couldn't she wait until next year?"
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_...4149C884854&newslett=1&em=166117a1a20090817ah
FIRST she blows 2.2 million rand on TWO BMW's for herself...now she begins another costly and unnecessary exercise like this one, seemingly to underline her incompetence!!
The people who are going to suffer at her hands are the underfunded schools and pupils, from whom she is taking the money!! the woman should be fired...the sooner the better!!!
By Angelique Serrao and Kutlwano Olifant
Last year's matrics still don't have their National Senior Certificate because the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, wanted the document redesigned to give the coat of arms more prominence.
The 2008 matric results were released nearly nine months ago.
Since then, pupils from around the country have been going back to their old schools asking for their certificates because some universities, other higher learning institutions and companies have requested they hand in certified copies of the certificate.
But no school in the country has received the certificates.
In June, Umalusi, the statutory body responsible for producing the NSC, announced there would be a delay in the printing of the certificates.
Umalusi said the delay was caused by Motshekga, who wanted the current design format changed to ensure the national coat of arms was given more prominence.
It was requested that the coat of arms be bigger and be placed in the middle of the page. On the previous certificates it was placed on the side and is quite small.
Usually the matric certificates are printed within a week of receipt of the final results, which is normally before the end of May.
"Umalusi's certificates are printed on watermark paper for security reasons. (The paper is) sourced overseas," a previously released statement read.
"The process has been expedited and a consignment of this special paper has already been ordered."
Delivery of the paper was expected in the middle of August, and the printing should be completed at the end of the month, that statement said.
Umalusi spokeswoman Alison Spratley said the special watermark paper with the original design had already been delivered and the body was waiting for instruction from the department to print the certificates when the instruction was given to them to change the design and reorder the paper.
"But Umalusi will re-use the paper for other things so it has not been wasted," Spratley said.
She said a new consignment of the special paper with the new design had been ordered, and they were waiting for delivery.
Spratley would not reveal how much money was being spent on the newly designed certificates.
Students from the University of Johannesburg were worried last month after receiving a letter asking for their NSC.
The deputy registrar and head of the student enrolment centre at Wits University, Carol Crosley, said the late release of the results was not an issue because students could obtain a statement of results.
Department of Education spokesman Granville Whittle said nobody should be disadvantaged over the delay because pupils had received a printout of their marks earlier this year.
Another university told The Star they had to buy an electronic version of the matric results from the Department of Education in order to verify the marks.
Juanita Kloppers-Lourens, the DA's shadow minister for basic education, said she believed that the minister was focusing on trivialities.
"Her focus is totally wrong. Her interest is in window-dressing when education is in a crisis. We should be looking at the basics, and the basics are not printing a bigger coat of arms. It's unacceptable and we need to demand an explanation," she said.
Mahlomola Kekana from the National Association of Parents in School Governance said they were shocked that school-leavers did not yet have their certificates.
"It impacts on our kids. Most companies need their official certificate to apply for jobs. A statement with their symbols is not enough and they won't be considered for jobs," he said.
Kekana said there needed to be urgent intervention to ensure that matrics received their certificates soon.
"There is an obligation on the part of the national Department of Education to issue certificates to learners timeously," he added.
"This is just embarrassing. Add to that the idea that next year's results will only be announced in January, and we have a department that seems to be buying time. At whose expense is this delay? If the minister wanted to change the design, why couldn't she wait until next year?"
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_...4149C884854&newslett=1&em=166117a1a20090817ah
