‘We saw our teacher give matric answers’

Cape Town - 150113 - The Western Cape Education Department has launched an investigation into alleged cheating at Stonefountain College and 41 candidates’ results have been withheld, pending the outcome. This comes after former matric candidates broke their silence about allegations of cheating, claiming a teacher provided answers to pupils while the invigilator looked on. Pictured is the Athlone branch of the school. Reporter: Ilse Fredericks Picture: David Ritchie

Cape Town - 150113 - The Western Cape Education Department has launched an investigation into alleged cheating at Stonefountain College and 41 candidates’ results have been withheld, pending the outcome. This comes after former matric candidates broke their silence about allegations of cheating, claiming a teacher provided answers to pupils while the invigilator looked on. Pictured is the Athlone branch of the school. Reporter: Ilse Fredericks Picture: David Ritchie

Published Jan 14, 2015

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Cape Town - Stonefountain College in Athlone promises to help pupils “achieve their best”, but one teacher allegedly took the promise beyond the law by providing pupils with answers during the matric physical science exam.

The independent school has been rocked by the allegations from two part-time pupils, and the school’s head of exams has been fired.

The Western Cape Education Department has launched an investigation into the allegations, and 41 candidates’ results have been withheld, pending the outcome.

It was the only school in the Western Cape where cheating took place in the final matric exams last year. Matriculants found to have cheated could face a three-year ban from writing again, the department has said.

A part-time candidate, who asked not be named, wrote the matric exams at the Athlone campus. She said a teacher was in the exam room during the physical sciences exam and when pupils didn’t know an answer full-time candidates could raise their hands and the answer would be provided.

The candidate said the invigilator didn’t do anything about this.

Another candidate who wrote at Athlone said the teacher would work out the answer and give it to candidates who asked for it.

“I really felt that it was unfair that candidates who hadn’t worked hard or didn’t study were being helped and would maybe get to university with those marks.”

Both candidates said they had not been asked to make statements to the department about what had happened, and both said their results showed outstanding marks in certain subjects, which they had queried.

One candidate’s results showed she was absent for one exam – she denies this – and that there was an outstanding mark for one subject. “I am going to lose a whole year because I won’t be able to go to university because of this.”

Stonefountain College, which has campuses in Athlone, Bellville and Kenilworth, has dismissed the head of exams and is co-operating with the department’s investigation.

College director Shaheed Shaik said pupils had been invited to make statements and the college had asked invigilators to be present when the department conducted interviews.

Some pupils have admitted to irregularities in affidavits.

“We take responsibility for what has happened and haven’t denied anything. We are co-operating fully with the investigation.”

The school had appointed a lawyer to represent the pupils and had asked the department to submit evidence of wrongdoing or release the results.

A disciplinary investigation would be launched through a labour representative organisation.

Shaik said a maths and physics teacher had left at short notice last year and had been difficult to replace.

Holiday classes in these subjects had been held but attendance was poor.

The college was working with the department “on a daily basis” to correct results of some of the part-time candidates, while some marks hadn’t been captured on the system by the department.

Education department spokesman Paddy Attwell said: “We encourage anyone with information that may help the investigation to contact the department.”

The department had not spoken to part-time candidates who wrote at the college because they were not implicated in group copying.

The department was attending to a number of cases from the college concerning missing year marks.

Asked about possible sanctions for the teachers and invigilators allegedly involved, the department said it wouldn’t comment until the investigation had been completed.

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