MEDIA STATEMENT ON THE STATUS OF THE KZN AND EASTERN CAPE EXAMINATION IRREGULARITIES

11 February 2015

The Department of Basic Education and Umalusi met to discuss the processes to be followed in light of the concessions given by the Minister to the learners involved in group copying.

Umalusi has noted the concerns raised by the DBE that we should not jeopardize the future of learners who might be found not guilty of the alleged irregularities. Whilst the learners have been granted concessions to write, due process will still be followed.

The next step in the process, in accordance with the Regulations pertaining to the Conduct, Administration and Management of the NSC examinations, is the conducting of individual hearings with each of the candidates that is implicated. This will allow for the evidence with regard to each subject, to be presented to the individual learner, and for the learner to respond to the charge of copying that will be presented. Learners will be allowed legal representation. Currently individual letters are being prepared inviting the learners to the hearing.

The hearings will commence on 24 February 2015 and will conclude on 16 March 2015 and the provinces will convene a meeting of the Provincial Examinations Irregularities Committee (PEIC) by 19 March 2015, where a full report on the hearings will be presented to the PEIC. All these hearings will be conducted by the PED, under the direct oversight of the DBE and will be monitored by Umalusi.

In terms of the Regulations pertaining to the Conduct, Administration and Management of the NSC examinations, all candidates that are under investigation, must be allowed to register and write the supplementary examination, pending the outcome of the investigation. It needs to be noted that this is a "once off" dispensation given by the Minister and therefore does not apply to other irregularities identified in the 2014 NSC examinations that have been dealt with in accordance with the Regulations on the Conduct, Administration and Management of the NSC Examinations.

At the same time the supplementary examination will start on Monday February 16 and will end on 24 March.

85000 candidates have registered to sit for the supplementary examinations. Umalusi and DBE agreed that centres implicated in the copying will not be allowed to administer the supplementary exams. In instances where there was group copying DBE and PDE's  will take over the management of the examinations. The exams will be written in 6 103 centres around the country.

Statement issued by Elijah Mhlanga, the Department of Basic Education, February 11 2015

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