THE announcement that matrics will have to rewrite maths paper 2 and physical sciences paper 2 hasn’t been received well.
Sadtu and Cosas have threatened to take the decision by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga to court.
Motshekga announced on Friday, 4 December that maths will be rewritten on 15 December and physical science on the 17th because the papers were leaked. She said it wasn’t an easy decision to make.
“It’s clear the people responsible for leaking the question papers are adults,” she said.
“The Council of Education Ministers appreciates the work being done by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations and the Hawks.”
She welcomed the arrest that has been made and said she hoped more would follow.
An employee of a Joburg-based company contracted to print exam papers was arrested following an investigation by the Hawks.
Sadtu spokesman, Mugwena Maluleke, said the decision to rewrite wasn’t rational. He said evidence suggested that 195 pupils might have seen the papers.
“This can’t justify that all pupils must rewrite. We need to take into account the mental state of our children who’ve been preparing for this under difficult circumstances,” he said.
Cosas called on pupils not to rewrite the exam.
National spokeswoman Douglas Ngobeni said the organisation rejected the minister’s decision.
“We’re also taking the department to court to stop this decision,” he said.
However, education activist Hendrick Makaneta said Motshekga’s decision promoted fairness and preserved the National Senior Certificate Assessment’s credibility.
“The decision will promote fairness, particularly for those pupils who took the time and trouble to prepare for the examinations during some of the most difficult times in education in South Africa,” said Makaneta.