20 September 2010 TO: | Heads of Provincial Departments of Health | | Nursing Education Institutions | | Nursing Stakeholders |
SOUTH AFRICAN NURSING COUNCIL EXAMINATIONS:Compliance with Provisions of the Nursing Act, 2005 and the Regulations Relating to Examinations of the South African Nursing Council 1. This office is inundated with appeals for late application into examination and application for retrospective publications of practical marks. Due to logistics and security measures required in the planning and execution of each examination, these requests can no longer be allowed. Furthermore, in view of the recent leaks of examination papers and our quest to improve service delivery, in particular security measures in all examinations conducted by the South African Nursing Council (SANC), strict adherence to examination regulations and policy has become mandatory without any exceptions. 2. Nursing Education Institutions are therefore reminded of the provisions in Government Notice No. R.7 of 8 January 1983 (as amended) to strictly adhere to the closing dates for examinations and that only registered student/pupils will be eligible to enter for an examination conducted by SANC as indicated below: “4. (1) A candidate shall submit to the Council an application for admission to an examination not later than the seventh day of the month, three months prior to the month in which the examination is to be conducted. (2) An application for admission to an examination submitted later than the date referred to in subregulation (1) may be accepted by the council- (a) if it is submitted within seven days of the date referred to in subregulation (1) and is accompanied by the late entry fee prescribed by regulation 16(c); or (b) if, in the case of a candidate who has failed one or more portions of an examination but who qualifies for a further examination, it is submitted before or on the date which shall be published together with the results of the examination in which the candidate failed, in which case no late entry fee shall be payable.” This clause is only applicable to candidates who failed examination for the first time. “8. (1) The nursing school shall submit to the council the percentage marks obtained by candidates in the practical portion prescribed by the regulations for the course concerned on the official mark sheet for the practical portion supplied by the council before or on the last day of the month in which the written examination takes place, and such mark sheet shall be signed by the person in charge of the nursing school.” There will be no retrospective publication of practical marks. 3. This Circular (7/2010) serves to inform Nursing Education Institutions that the South African Nursing Council will hence forth only process application for admission to an examination as prescribed by the examination regulations cited above. 4. The contents of this circular must be brought to the attention of all nurses including learners. (Signed) Mr T Mabuda Registrar & CEO South African Nursing Council |