COSAS: Matrics will not rewrite

The Congress of South African Students (Cosas) has put the blame for the leaked Gr 12 mathematics 2 paper squarely on Umalusi and the Department of Basic Education.
“We do not associate the leaking of the paper with any learner as the incident arises from negligence on the part of Umalusi and the department,” the union said in a media statement.
Both the education authority and the department confirmed that the paper was made available in the early hours of Monday morning, merely hours before it was scheduled to be written at 09:00.
According to the department, the origins of the leak are not clear yet but the candidates who had access to the question paper appear to be located in Limpopo and Gauteng. In a media statement the department says it is investigating the matter to establish the extent of the leak.
“Early investigations show that only a few learners in these provinces had access to the paper.”
Umalusi says depending on the outcome of the investigation, affected schools may be required to write another paper on a date that will be determined by the department and Umalusi.
Cosas took issue with this suggestion, saying they do not expect Gr 12 learners in the provinces to sit for the same paper again “as they are not the ones responsible for the leaking of the paper”.
Cosas believes officials responsible for leaking the paper should be held accountable without forcing learners to repeat the paper.
The CEO of Umalusi, Dr Mafu Rakometsi, says Umalusi takes the matter seriously and will do everything to collaborate with all stakeholders including law enforcement agencies to bring those responsible to book. “Umalusi remains committed to its mandate of assuring the credibility of national examinations administered by all assessment bodies.”

Story: Umpha Manenzhe