The Committee was informed that due to the size of the Legislature, Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPLs) were spread thinly and needed to attend many Committee meetings in the course of the day. Only three MPLs could join the meeting due to others being tasked with attending meetings dealing with Annual Reports during this period. Although the Provincial Portfolio Committee on Education was satisfied with the performance of the Department, there remained serious challenges in respect of Special Schools and staffing challenges. The Provincial Portfolio Committee was satisfied with, and commended the Department on the interventions on behalf of learners during the period of protest action. Special Schools was a key focus area for the Provincial Portfolio Committee. The Committee had submitted a report to the Legislature and was awaiting the Department to action the recommendations in the Report. The Provincial Portfolio Committee also recently engaged with the Department on the state-of- readiness for the Matric Examinations; and was satisfied that the Department was, in fact, ready for them. The Department had indicated that all examination centres had been properly registered, a risk management strategy was in place, question papers delivered on time and professional invigilators appointed. An issue that needed to be addressed was that of implementing the plans for promotion/progression and repeaters. Another question was the criteria used for appointing moderators as many experienced moderators had been excluded. There was a view that there needed to be a mix of experienced and new moderators to prime them for the future.