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- Sadtu, the country’s largest teachers union, has threatened legal action against the Department of Basic Education and Umalusi.
- The threat comes after the decision of the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, that 12th graders rewrite two leaked exams.
- The union says Motshekga had consulted them and they expressed their opinion that this move would be premature and unfair, as investigations into the matter had not been concluded.
The South African Union of Democratic Teachers (Sadtu) says it is taking legal action against a decision by the Department of Basic Education and the educational quality assurance body Umalusi that 12th graders rewrite two leaked articles.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced Friday that Math Test 2 would be rewritten on Tuesday, December 15, and Physical Science Test 2 on Thursday, December 17.
“Sadtu, on Monday, will present an urgent judicial request to intercept the decision of the department,” he said in a statement Sunday.
The statement continued:
The Basic Education Department consulted with the unions and Sadtu and most of the unions made their views known that they were against the decision and a consensus was reached. However, Umalusi disagreed and the decision was made to rewrite.
Sadtu, the nation’s largest teachers union, said it believed the decision was unfair and premature, because investigations into the leaks had not been completed.
‘Mental health and preparation’
“Based on initial research, which has shown that the number of students who may have seen the document is less than 200 out of the 390,000 who wrote it, there is no basis for a national rewrite.
Sadtu said:
Preparing for the 2020 matrix exams was not easy in the conditions of Covid-19 and the mental health of the students and the preparation for the rewriting is a big problem.
Mugwena Maluleke, Sadtu’s general secretary, said the decision had left many students and teachers distressed and frustrated.
“It undermines the work of our teachers and students who worked in difficult circumstances due to Covid-19. Students are being punished for something that is not their creation, as only a few saw the newspaper,” Maluleke said.
City Press reported that a law firm representing a group of parent companies also threatened to file an urgent injunction to prevent rewriting.
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