University exam clashes a taxing issue

From a Jewish point of view, one of the major advantages of living in South Africa is the extent to which the rights and freedoms of all religious communities, large or small, are respected and fully protected. That being said, ensuring that members of our community aren’t unduly disadvantaged due to their religious commitments is nevertheless one of the most complex and time-consuming areas in which the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) involves itself. In terms of the nitty-gritty details of this kind of work, addressing cases of university exams that have been set on yom tov or Shabbat is an especially challenging area.

Since it’s rarely possible for dates to be changed after the fact, given the challenges the universities themselves face in putting together exam schedules that accommodate the needs of all their students, the focus has been on working with the relevant institutions to make alternative arrangements for the students concerned. In previous years, it was possible to arrange for students to write their papers immediately after Shabbat or yom tov under the auspices of the SAJBD. However, now that the University of South Africa (Unisa), where the majority of scheduling problems arise, conducts exams online, new solutions have had to be found. In practice, this has meant arranging for the affected students to be given alternate assessments, both in terms of the original paper and any supplementary assessments that might be required. Last year, we were able to address nearly 100 cases, 69 of which concerned Unisa students, but the bare numbers don’t tell the whole story. It entailed working with the relevant university on a case-by-case basis, with circumstances differing from department to department, and each individual case required constant follow-ups. In addition to the universities, our office worked with private tertiary institutions and occasionally, even high schools to resolve exam clashes.

As the organisation mandated to uphold Jewish religious rights and freedoms, the SAJBD, with untiring National Director Wendy Kahn leading from the front, will always go the extra mile to assist our Jewish students, and we take pride in our successful track record in this area. That being said, those who find themselves in such a situation need to do their part by carefully checking their exam timetables and notifying the Board of any problems as soon as possible. As has frequently been stressed in this column, it’s critical that students inform us timeously about any scheduling clashes so as to give us sufficient time to come to an acceptable alternative arrangement with the institution concerned. All communications in this regard should be sent to sajbd@sajbd.org.

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