Matric cheats offered chance

Durban - KwaZulu-Natal matrics implicated in cheating may be afforded the opportunity to write supplementary exams - provided they come clean and are able to provide investigators with useful information.

The Basic Education Department confirmed on Monday that this special concession would be extended to matrics accused of copying with the help of principals or teachers who had acted as invigilators.

Basic Education spokesman Elijah Mhlanga said letters were being prepared which would be forwarded to the pupils and invigilators implicated in cheating, to have them appear at a second round of formal hearings.

Mhlanga did not say when this process would be concluded, but exam quality watchdog Umalusi has previously said that it expects the investigations to be wrapped up by the end of next month.

KZN Education MEC Peggy Nkonyeni told The Mercury she wished to emphasise that the accusations of cheating, while “extremely embarrassing”, remained allegations.

Umalusi is investigating 2 089 pupils at 20 KZN schools.

Principals acting as chief invigilators at schools being probed for cheating were the first to be grilled by education officials at an initial round of hearings last month.

The principals and teachers who attended the hearings were from areas including Vryheid, Port Shepstone, Stanger and Newcastle.

Umalusi said the extent of the co-ordinated cheating was unprecedented.

Suspicions were raised as far back as during the marking of exam scripts in early December. It was noticed that pupils’ answers were identical down to the spelling errors.

The subjects which pupils were accused of cheating in were English (first additional language), physical science, life science, maths, geography, history and accounting. Being barred from rewriting matric for three years is the most severe penalty awaiting pupils found guilty and who are not granted a concession.

Earlier in January the Basic Education Department said it suspected that KZN matrics alleged to have cheated did so in desperation because they had not been taught the curriculum in its entirety.

The department then also suspected that invigilators had a look at the question scripts, realised the difficulty involved in answering them, and then felt compelled to “help” pupils because the matric papers had been especially difficult, and the time that had been allocated for pupils to complete them was insufficient.

Schools whose results are being withheld:

* Ntsikakazi (Umgungundlovu district)

* Sibanesihle (Umgungundlovu)

* Zifikele (Pinetown district)

* Mpikayizekanye (Umzinyathi district)

* Mabizela (Umzinyathi district)

* Qinisani (Ilembe district)

* Mashiyamahle (Ilembe district)

* Mthengeni (Ilembe district)

* Felifa (Zululand district)

* Matshitsholo (Zululand district)

* Kwabhamu (Zululand district)