Motshekga must account to parliament for matric exam leaks

23 November 2015

Release: immediate

The credibility of this year’s National Senior Certificate examinations is now in question given reports that more papers have been leaked.

It was reported in City Press yesterday that the Life Sciences Paper 2, leaked in Limpopo last Monday, was also distributed to pupils in Gauteng and Mpumalanga. Furthermore, a senior official in the national department and an executive at Umalusi allegedly confirmed a leak of Life Sciences Paper 1.

The Department of Basic Education has hinted at further leaks, stating that it is not limiting its investigation to Life Sciences Paper 2. The Department also admitted that the leak extends beyond the one school mentioned at the press briefing last Tuesday and now includes a total of eleven schools in the Vhembe district.

Serious concerns over the credibility of the 2015 NSC examinations in Limpopo were raised with the Minister months ago. As recently as 22 October 2015, Minister Motsekga received a letter from Umalusi expressing serious reservations about the state of readiness of Limpopo province to administer the 2015 NSC examination.

Given the latest reports of leaked papers, I have written to Minister Motshekga requesting that she make an Executive statement in the National Assembly in terms of NA Rule 106(1) on the examination crisis as a matter of urgency. People have a right to know the extent of the leaks and what the Minister is doing about the problem.

Minister Motshekga last week reneged on an earlier commitment to address Parliament last Wednesday. This is not acceptable. It is her duty to account to Parliament for her failure to avert the examinations crisis that is now spreading beyond Limpopo.

We call on Minister Motshekga to brief the nation on her plans to safeguard the integrity of the matric exams.

Statement issued by Gavin Davis MP, DA Shadow Minister of Basic Education, 24 November 2015