Matric exam papers damaged by storm at Free State marking centre

A hail storm blew the roof off a matric exam marking centre in Thaba Nchu, Free State, resulting in a marker being injured and some examination scripts being damaged.

The Department of Basic Education said the Albert Moroka High School was hit with hail and strong winds while marking was underway on Wednesday.

The wind was so strong it blew the roof off the building.

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The accounting paper 2 and business studies paper 2 were being marked at the school.

“Markers ran for cover as the storm pounded the venue where the scripts were being processed. One marker was slightly injured while the rest escaped unscathed,” the education department said in a statement.

Initial reports indicated that some exam scripts had been damaged by the hail, the statement said.

“A high-powered delegation consisting of senior officials from the DBE [department of basic education] and Umalusi will be visiting the marking centre,” said the department.

The department also said it was “working as fast as possible to resolve the matter but we can assure the candidates that nobody will be disadvantaged as a result of this natural disaster”.

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It added that the marking of the exams would be moved to another location.

“We thank all our colleagues on the scene for working hard to ensure that everybody is safe. We will provide counselling to members of the marking team following the trauma and shock of the events that threatened their lives,” the department said.

The marking of matric exams at the centre began on 8 December and was meant to finish on 22 December. The education department said there were 112 markers at the school.

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