MBOMBELA – The South African Democratic Teacher’s Union (Sadtu) in Mpumalanga has strongly condemned teachers who helped matric learners to cheat while writing their final exams.
It has been reported that two examination centres cheated during last year’s final.
It is alleged that one of these is in the Bohlabela District and the subject involved is accounting. The other centre has yet to be made public.
“As Sadtu, we are disappointed to learn that teachers had allowed learners to copy while writing their final exams. We are disappointed and we call on the authorities to investigate the matter thoroughly and take necessary steps to discipline the teachers involved,” said the union’s secretary,
Mr Walter Hlaise.
“Helping learners to copy does not give the full picture of what they are capable of in their results. The law must take its course,” he added.
Hlaise’s comments come after two centres in the province had been named among the 69 in the country suspected of cheating during the 2014 matric examination as revealed by Umalusi on Sunday.
Umalusi’s spokesperson, Mr Lucky Ditaunyane said the first formal report on the matter will be received by the end of January adding that mid-February would be the latest possible period by which time the first report would be submitted, but that the target remained the end of this month.
To date the assessment monitoring body had confirmed reports of cheating in six centres in Gauteng, two in Mpumalanga and one each in the Western Cape, North West and Northern Cape.
This follows the December probe which revealed that 39 centres in KwaZulu-Natal and 19 in the Eastern Cape were implicated of cheating.
A total of 550 127 full-time and
138 533 part-time candidates wrote the basic education department’s examinations.
