Durban - Twelve new cases of matric group copying at KwaZulu-Natal schools have been identified, but some incidents from 2014 have still not been resolved.
Seven KZN schools were named in a Sunday newspaper as being implicated in copying incidents in the 2015 matric exams, but this could not be confirmed on Sunday.
Exam quality assurer Umalusi’s chairman, Professor John Volmink, said last week that 26 cases of alleged group copying were picked up in Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga, but most cases were in KZN. He said further investigations needed to take place and results would be withheld.
Sources at some of the implicated schools, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were surprised by the copying allegations as it had never happened before.
One source said the allegations were unfounded and pupils implicated in one subject had denied any wrongdoing. Another source said pupils would still pass matric but would not be given marks for the affected subjects.
Hearings, where pupils and teachers would be questioned, were expected to be held this week. Pupils who were found guilty could be barred from rewriting the subject for up to three years.
The deputy president of the National Teachers Union, Allen Thompson, said group copying would continue until drastic measures were taken against the culprits.
“Too little was done to deal with those implicated in copying in the 2014 examinations. We have not been told if anyone was found guilty, what sanctions were given and whether teachers were taken to disciplinary hearings. The provincial and national departments and Umalusi appear to have encouraged copying by not taking proper action.”
Anthony Pierce of the National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa said there were 2014 cases that were outstanding, but some of the matters had been taken to court. In the 2014 exams, 22 schools in KZN were implicated in group copying in several subjects including life sciences, maths and accounting. At 11 of the schools, pupils who co-operated with the investigators and admitted their guilt were allowed to rewrite their matric exams last year. But investigations at the rest of the schools remained outstanding.
Pierce said one of the reasons for group copying incidents included poor administration at examination centres.
“In some instances, those who had been tasked with the administration of the exams failed to do what was necessary and properly manage the process.”
He said that the problem of group copying was not likely to go away easily, but the union expected the department to “come down hard” on the culprits.
Provincial Education Department spokesman Muzi Mahlambi said the group copying incidents would be discussed at the department’s matric results briefing on Wednesday.
The Mercury
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