Durban -
The KwaZulu-Natal Education Department has assured pupils and parents that the allegations of “group copying” in the 2014 matric examinations were “not as bad” as had been reported.
Some examinations centres had already been cleared of involvement in any wrongdoing, it said on Thursday.
Assessment body, Umalusi, had announced on Tuesday that it was withholding the results of pupils at 39 exam centres in KZN and 19 centres in the Eastern Cape because of group copying.
Umalusi chief executive, Mafu Rakometsi, said there was evidence pupils were assisted through dictation, notes or answers being written on the chalkboard.
However, the provincial education department’s spokesman, Muzi Mahlambi, said the situation was not as bad as originally thought.
“The figures released to the media are not accurate. It is not 39 exam centres. The number is far fewer than that,” he told the Daily News.
“Also, the investigation that is under way has already cleared certain exam centres of all allegations. I cannot elaborate on this now, but all will be revealed once the investigation has been finalised.”
Mahlambi said the impression given to the public was that entire examination centres were being scrutinised, but this was not the case.
“Individual learners were found to have irregularities regarding their examinations in specific subjects. These individual learners are now being investigated with regard to that particular subject.”
He confirmed that these pupils’ results in all other subjects would be released, and only the irregular subject result would be withheld.
“These learners will receive a subject certificate statement in subjects that are not under investigation.”
Mahlambi said the department took cheating seriously.
“We do not want to produce half-baked learners who will not succeed at university level. We want all our learners to become successful professionals.”
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Following the revelation of the group copying, Umalusi has since confirmed that the KZN pupils who had written their exams at the centres where evidence of alleged cheating was found, would still be able to register at universities next month.
Umalusi spokesman, Lucky Ditaunyane, said the Department of Basic Education had informed them that the investigation would be concluded in time to allow those pupils who had been cleared time to register at universities.
The allegations have ruffled feathers in the province, with the DA calling on Umalusi to provide more information about the group copying incidents.
“Why did it take Umalusi auditors to ‘discover’ this fiasco?” DA MP Annette Lovemore asked.
Lovemore said Umalusi was previously very vocal about the need for competency tests for markers but appeared to have dropped this fight.
Lovemore said more information was needed on how assessment centres were audited, and what would happen to pupils caught cheating.
Meanwhile, South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) has asked that people not jump to conclusions, saying the cheating had not yet been proved.
Sadtu’s provincial acting secretary, Nomarashiya Caluza, said:
“As it stands now, it remains a mere allegation that needs to be proved. Maybe those learners just gave similar responses to questions as they are learners of the same school taught by the same educator.”
Apart from the group copying incidents, Umalusi has declared the 2014 matric exams “fair and credible”.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga will announce the national and provincial results at a live television broadcast on Monday evening, where the country’s top performing pupils will be revealed as well as the total percentage passes for the class of 2014.
The names of pupils will however not be published in newspapers for the first time, but pupils will be able to track their results using their identity numbers, exam numbers and the names of the schools, the education department announced last month.
Mahlambi, said the pupils’ results could be picked up from their schools on Tuesday morning.
- Daily News