Cape Town – The Eastern Cape education department says it is investigating cases involving pupils suspected to have helped others answer matric exam questions.
Eastern Cape Education MEC Fundile Gade says they have conducted numerous investigations through the departmental channels and one worrying case involves Ntsizwa Secondary School in Mount Frere where there has been suspicion of “help” of certain pupils by others.
Gade told Newzroom Afrika this is not a “copying case” but a “common answering methodology” which comes with suspicions, probably as a result of sightings by the invigilator when those pupils were writing at that particular time.
“In general as a province we have performed quite well in terms of managing the quality and standard of the examinations for Grade 12 learners,” he said.
It’s reported that at least 21 Eastern Cape teachers may be allegedly involved in cheating scandals. Gade said teachers need to be subjected to some form of investigation and disciplinary measures if they are found to be involved.
“In terms of the policy in basic education or examinations, the most affected is the learner because once that learner is suspected, and investigations go on and prove beyond reasonable doubt that the learner is guilty, that learner is exempted from writing for three years in this country and that is my only worry,”
“This means if that learner is about 18 years old, she or he might get back at the age of 20, which will be against the policy of basic education, and that is why we must always encourage invigilators to level up and be cautious of cheating scandals,” Gade added.
Gade said they strongly suspect that there are cheating cases but they are still waiting for the examination regulatory board, Umalusi, to conclude the investigation because they do not want to create an impression that they are “in defence for those that are implicated”.
“Generally it’s conduct that I feel very strongly about and probably the country will look very closely into, because of the serious impact that it has not just in terms of the Grade 12 learners but also of their future, and some of them might not be able to come back into the system because of their age.
“Some will have to undergo private schooling or do any kind of arrangement for Grade 12 which is not a normal practice that they would be subject to,” he said.
Gade outlined that despite the province’s struggles in terms of performance, the country has adopted an education system that is “very competitive, dynamic, but also compelling”, so that teachers are able to provide quality education.
In another incident unrelated to this, it reported that almost 200 matric pupils from Phakamisa Secondary School in Gcuwa, also in the Eastern Cape, are furious after they were informed they will not receive their exams results this week as a result of blunder involving the life orientation paper.
According to the “Daily Dispatch”, they were called into a meeting on Sunday and told that some of the some of the answer scripts were not submitted for marking and others were affected due to the mix up of the results with names of the candidates who were writing the paper missing.
It was further reported that almost 212 Grade 12 pupils will have to rewrite the subject later this month and their future is at stake should they fail, as the school doesn’t accept those repeating Grade 12.
The education department in the Eastern Cape has since came out and said they are aware of the incident, and are working on a plan to assist the pupils.
