Motshekga’s in Paris while Limpopo’s in meltdown

The DA calls on Minister Angie Motshekga to take the first flight home from Paris to deal with reported examination problems in Limpopo.

Yesterday, we wrote to Minister Motshekga to request that she brief Parliament on the developing examinations crisis in Limpopo. In response, her aide informed us that the Minister is in Paris and would therefore be making no such statement.

The same Paris trip meant that Minister Motshekga missed her oral questions session in Parliament last Wednesday. This was the second oral questions session she has missed in a row. Indeed, we learn that the Minister’s trip to the Unesco conference in Paris spans a full 15 days – from the 3rd to the 18th of November.

It is unacceptable for the Minister to spend so much time overseas when the end of year exams are in progress, particularly as reports emerge that the Limpopo examinations are in disarray. Reported problems include:

- The bungling of tenders to print exam papers. This resulted in printing companies being called randomly to print without the necessary vetting taking place, raising fears of leaked papers;

- Arbitrary and last minute schedule changes to the examination timetable; and

- The failure of the Provincial Department to set Mathematics and Science papers, after having committed to do so.

In July 2014, the national government handed powers back to the Limpopo Education Department after placing it under administration three years previously. The indications now are that this decision may have been too hasty.

It is clear that high-level political leadership is required to deal with the developing crisis in Limpopo. It is simply not good enough for the management of this crisis to be left up to the Director-General, as indicated in the letter from the Minister’s office.

It is time for Minister Motshekga to make her way home from Paris to personally deal with this developing crisis. She owes this much to the children of Limpopo who continue to be let down by an inept provincial administration.

Issued by Gavin Davis, DA Shadow Minister of Basic Education, 10 November 2015

The text of the letter:

Honourable Gavin Davis

Member of Parliament of the RSA

Dear Honourable Davis,

I herewith refer to the letter that you sent for the attention of Honourable Angie Motshekga earlier today requesting an Executive Statement to Parliament tomorrow from her in response to the problems which you have raised with the administration of the National Senior Certificate Examination in Limpopo province.

The Minister is attending the 38th General Conference of UNESCO in Paris at this time for which a formal apology has already been conveyed to Parliament.

Your correspondence has been conveyed to the Minister and she acknowledges receipt thereof.  The Minister will however not be making an Executive Statement in Parliament on this matter at this point in time.

The Department under the leadership of the DG, Mr M Mweli, is already seized to deal with problems affecting the National Senior Certificate examination in the provinces, and is attending to the problems which had occurred in Limpopo.  A report on this matter is expected soon from the Department.

It also needs to be pointed out that matters affecting the Limpopo province is a provincial competency of the NCOP and that matters pertaining to the competency of the provinces can therefore be referred to the NCOP.

We thank you for your correspondence and wish you all the best with your important responsibilities as a public representative.

Yours faithfully,

Randall van den Heever

Director in the Office of the Minister of Basic Education