Ahead of the release of the matric results, political party Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) has renewed its call for public schools to be given the right to choose their own examination authorities, after it was revealed that officials in the Department of Basic Education (DBE) allegedly were involved in leaking matric examination papers.
In a media statement, VF Plus MP and chief spokesperson on education, Dr Wynand Boshoff, warned that the scandal is severely undermining trust in the public education system and could drive parents towards independent schooling.
“The shocking revelation that Department of Basic Education officials are implicated in leaking matric exam papers – and could even have initiated it – erodes confidence in the public education system,” Boshoff said.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced in early December, that Grade 12 pupils at seven Tshwane high schools had access to National Senior Certificate examination papers for three subjects prior to the exams.
She said at the time that it was further established that the source of the leak is a DBE employee who has a child in Grade 12 and she received the papers from another official in the exams unit. The extent of the leak is still under investigation.
South Africa currently has three examination authorities: the DBE, the South African Comprehensive Assessment Institute (SACAI), and the Independent Examinations Board (IEB). According to Boshoff, the latter two “consistently manage their examinations without fraud or controversy,” in contrast to the DBE, which has repeatedly had to deal with exam irregularities.
He said while the Department has often defended itself by pointing to the sheer scale of the examinations it administers, this latest breach is of a different and more serious nature.
“What makes this year’s breach different is that it reportedly took place at headquarters, not at some remote examination centre where ensuring control is difficult,” he said.
Against this backdrop, the VF Plus argues that the DBE’s monopoly over public school examinations is no longer justifiable.
“Public schools should be afforded the opportunity to choose which examination board they wish to use,” Boshoff said. He warned that if the Department “refuses to relinquish its monopoly on managing schools’ final examinations, parents will increasingly consider independent education.”
Boshoff also predicted a broader shift away from public schooling as confidence continues to decline. “Interest in independent education is expected to increase next year and, in the years to come,” he said.
At stake, he stressed, is the credibility of the National Senior Certificate itself.
“Ultimately, the National Senior Certificate – or matric – is the foundation on which young adults build their careers,” Boshoff said, adding that “ensuring the integrity of that Certificate is critically important.”
THE MERCURY
