Lobby group Equal Education has raised concern over the Department of Basic Education’s announcement that the two leaked matric examination papers will be rewritten.
The group says matric learners and teachers have struggled through the coronavirus pandemic to reach the final exams and rewriting will make them more stressed and anxious.
On Friday, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced that matrics must rewrite Mathematics Paper Two and Physical Science Paper Two.
Matric learners to rewrite leaked exams papers:
Equal Education’s general-secretary Noncedo Madubedube says the department and Umalusi owe parents, learners and teachers an explanation.
“Based on what the officials from Umalusi and the Department of Basic Education have said in the media, we aren’t convinced that getting all matrics to rewrite the leaked Maths and Physical Sciences Papers is justified. The leaking of an exam paper is very serious but Umalusi and the Department of Basic Education have not made a strong enough case for why insisting a national rewrite is the most appropriate at this moment.”
“The public deserves to know when papers were leaked, how far these papers were circulated and how many questions from each paper learners had access to. So Umalusi and the DBE have a duty to explain to learners, parents and teachers all the options that were considered to protect the integrity of the matric exams. Learners cannot be punished for the weaknesses of the DBE’s security systems,” explains Madubedube.
On Monday, the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) said it will head to court to seek an urgent interdict to stop the rewrite.
Meanwhile, an employee of a Johannesburg-based company contracted by the department to print matric exam papers is being prosecuted for allegedly leaking the Maths paper.
He is out on bail and will return to court in January.
Mhlanga elaborates on the DBE’s rewrite decision in the video below:
