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THE Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training in South Africa, Umalusi has highlighted several concerns regarding protest action in the Northwest and Mpumalanga which has disrupted matric exams.
The protests resulted in some learners either missing the National Senior Certificate examination or writing it later than initially scheduled.
Department of Basic Education (DBE) spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga says that the biggest challenged faced during last week’s examinations was in Mpumalanga, Emalahleni where about 1127 candidates were prevented from accessing their exam centres where they were scheduled to write either Mathematics or Math Literacy Paper 2.
Mhlanga explains that candidates from six centres could not reach the exam centre and even the ones who managed to make it to the exam centre could not write because the exam officials who deliver the question papers were denied entry to the township.
“It is a problem and we have appealed to members of the public to refrain from disrupting schools because it causes unnecessary stress and anxiety among their own children,” said Mhlanga.
Another issue was raised in Gauteng, where 53 candidates could not sit for their Economics paper 1 due to alleged communication from school management, instructing learners not to appear for the exam.
The school management also allegedly misdirected the province by stating that there was a protest in the area.
Mhlanga says that the department is investigating the matter and that the district has initiated a disciplinary proceeding against the principal of Phandimfundo Secondary School.
Further questions were raised about an alleged problematic question in the Mathematics Paper 2 exam that was written last Monday, with complaints and reports coming from different parts of the country stating that the error in the paper led to the problem being unsolvable.
In a statement, Umalusi said the standard procedure for dealing with such issues will be taken during the investigation.
According to Umalusi, if the investigation proves that an error was made, depending on the magnitude of the problem, the marks allocated to the question may be excluded from the question paper’s total marks or that alternative responses may be accepted.
“No child is going to be compromised as a result of that question because there are measures in place that covers for situations like that.”
Mhlanga says that although there have been several disruptions, the department anticipated many more challenges, and it is managing the situation fairly.
Additional reporting by Staff Reporters