Task team to probe matric exam leak

W Cape candidates required to be available in event of rewrite

THE DEPARTMENT of Basic Education has established an investigative task team after the matric life sciences paper 2 was leaked in Limpopo. The breach appears to have been limited to that province, but Western Cape candidates are required to be available until December 9 in the event of a rewrite of this or any other paper.

Jessica Shelver, spokeswoman for Education MEC Debbie Schäfer, said candidates were informed before the start of the exams that they had to be available until then.

“It is too early to indicate whether there will be any need to prepare for a re-write,” she said, adding that candidates do not need to be unduly concerned or stressed.

At a press conference yesterday, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said her department received a tip-off about the leak at 6am on Monday and was able to verify the information received.

The investigative team will include the Department of Basic Education, the South African Qualifications Authority, Universities South Africa and the quality assurance body, Umalusi.

“To ensure that the alleged compromise is limited and does not contaminate the rest of the examination in the district and the province, the scripts of the circuit and the schools will be placed under quarantine and the scripts will be subjected to an investigative audit so that the candidates that have not had access to the question paper can be isolated from those that are implicated,” Motshekga said.

She said the police and the State Security Agency would be brought on board to ensure that the perpetrators are prosecuted. “The National Senior Certificate is a legislated examination and is, therefore, protected by law. The Department of Basic Education will leave no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of this breach that seeks to undermine the credibility of the flagship qualification of this country.”

Before the start of the exams, Schäfer warned that candidates caught cheating could face serious consequences such as being banned from writing the National Senior Certificate exams for up to three years.

The exams are scheduled to conclude on November 27.

A record number of matric candidates – 674 232 – registered for the National Senior Certificate exams this year. The class of 2002, the previous biggest group, had about 626 000 pupils, while there were 551 588 candidates last year.

The national and provincial matric results are expected to be released on January 5 while individual candidates’ results are expected to be made available on January 6.