Exam leaks an accident waiting to happen
13 September 2015
The recent leaks of exam papers for thousands of artisan students at Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges around South Africa can be put down mainly to the ill-conceived move of TVET colleges from Provincial control to the direct control of the ill-equipped national Department of Higher Education and Training.
The fact that the results of these exams, due to be released at the end of last month, are now on hold has impacted at least 20 000 students and must be addressed urgently.
These young people have sought to better their opportunities with education which the DA believes is a vital foundation to building a prosperous life. Government's role should be to empower young people with opportunities to lead successful lives, yet the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) is ill equipped to do this.
The DA will today write to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training, Yvonne Phosa, to request that the Department be called to an emergency meeting of the Committee to present a plan to fix this problem and to ensure it does not happen again.