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By Keagan Mitchell 
10h ago
Cape Town – The decision to have matrices rewrite two Higher National Certificate (NSC) exams can be reversed, should an urgent injunction succeed.
On Friday, the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, announced that due to the leak of the Mathematics 2 and Physical Sciences 2 Document, students across the country will have to rewrite them. The first national rewrite in South African history.
The decision did not sit well with the teacher unions, the National Organization of Professional Teachers of South Africa (Naptosa) and the Democratic Teachers Union of South Africa (Sadtu), and Sadtu’s Secretary General Mugwena Maluleke said they would file an injunction. Urgent judicial to reverse the decision on Monday.
Maluleke said that while they were consulted and expressed their opinions, the Umalusi exam quality control body made a different decision in the end.
“The minister called a meeting today and the unions said there is no basis for a national rewrite, based on the initial investigation. Because the number of students (involved) was few and did not justify that all students were punished, “said Maluleke.
He added that after the meeting there was consensus, “then Umalusi met on his own and made his own decision that led to the minister.”
Maluleke said that punishing students in a year plagued by Covid-19 was not fair.
“We are working on the (court) documents now to reverse the decision. It has no legal basis. Research shows that there were no major cheats and those who cheated will show up in the rating process. We want to deliver the papers to the court on Monday, we are just preparing some affidavits from the students. “
Naptosa CEO Basil Manuel said they were briefed by the minister and Umalusi and were concerned.
“We were informed about Umalusi’s doubts and the integrity of the exam. However, Naptosa remains concerned. We still do not believe that a few can punish almost 400,000 children. We believe there was a better way to do it and we believe this is a punishment for many innocent children, teachers and the system. We certainly have doubts even though we heard concerns about the integrity of the exam, etc., however we think it was a bit of a stretch, ”he said.
Matric students have been frustrated and upset by the news that they will have to rewrite Test 2 in Math and Physical Science 2.
Zoë Prinsloo, a senior at Edgemead High School, said: “I am very frustrated and upset by the news. What was supposed to be the best year of our school careers turned out to be the worst. From online classes and extra classes to losing practically everything that makes a year of enrollment so special. And now to rewrite Math and Physics because some people cannot show respect and abide by the law. This is completely unacceptable. “
Anekin Pockpass, a senior at The Settlers High School, said: “It’s not that I didn’t expect it, but there was a little bit of hope that I wouldn’t have to. I am saddened that my vacation arrival has been delayed and a week shorter than initially planned. I only hope that this time the Department of Basic Education has the correct measure so that this does not happen again ”.
Ashleigh Hondoyachepa, a 12th grader at the Cape Academy of Mathematics, Science and Technology, said: “We all thought we were done with physical science and math. Some of our books are even gone long ago to be recycled. For me, rewriting math is full of mixed emotions. On the one hand, I feel like I can do much better than I did, and on the other hand, it means I have to carry this burden again. As for Physical Sciences, I felt strong with the article and so did most of us, and rewriting it feels like we have to carry that worry and pressure again and wonder how we are going to do it all over again, “he said.
The head of the Western Cape Department of Education, Brian Schreuder, said they understood that the measure would cause disappointment and impact the plans of some of our candidates, but asked for understanding.
“These are exceptional circumstances and ultimately are in the interests of justice for all candidates and the credibility of these exams. When the results are published, there can be no trace of doubt about the integrity of the Senior National Certificate. We know this will also affect some principals and staff who must manage arrangements at test centers, as well as parents and candidates who may need to adjust vacation plans. This exam is so important that we know they will make the necessary arrangements to accommodate this development, ”he said.
Nomsa Marchesi, DA spokesperson on education, said it was regrettable that all matrices now had to suffer the consequences of poor decisions made by a few.
“Lessons learned from the initial leaks should not be repeated again in the rewrite and we are confident that these leaks will serve as a wake-up call for the Department of Basic Education to strengthen security regarding tuition exams in the future. calls on law enforcement agencies to ensure that investigations into these leaks are completed promptly to ensure that all those implicated and found guilty are held accountable, “he said.
Motshekga said that “the credibility of the NSC exam is of the utmost importance. Any lingering doubts related to the credibility of the NSC exams should be thoroughly investigated and addressed. Preventing prior access to the question document is what all security measures are aimed at. ”
Test 2 of Mathematics will be written on December 15 at 2 pm and Test 2 of Physical Sciences will be written on December 17 at 9 am.
Argus weekend
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