BASIC Education Minister Angie Motshekga has defended an exam question which asked matric pupils to describe a rape scene using a loaf of bread and a broomstick.
The question appeared in Monday’s Dramatic Arts exam and raised the ire of parents, education experts and anti-rape activists.
It was based on an extract from the play Tshepang by Lara Foot Newton, which depicts the story of the rape of a nine-month-old baby.
In a statement issued by the ministry yesterday, Motshekga said there was no enactment of rape, as stated by some media reports.
The question, which appeared in Section C and was deemed compulsory, read: “Describe how you would get the actor portraying Simon to perform line 9 to maximise the horror of the rape for the audience”.
Defending the question Motshekga said Grade 12 pupils were young adults who were fully aware of the social issues confronting the country. “Dramatic Arts, like all other art forms, are powerful vehicles for creating social awareness and education to societal issues that need to be addressed to bring about change,” Motshekga said.
The minister further stated that if the department picked up on a trend which showed that pupils had been negatively affected by the question, then it would be excluded from the exams and marking schedules adjusted accordingly.
Playwright Newton said the department approached her six years ago to use the play Tshepang as a setwork and that was the last contact she had with them.
“I am not sure of the particulars of the exam question, but if it was set as an ‘unseen extract’ from the work, or if the play has not been studied or seen by the learners, then that question is totally inappropriate and frankly appalling,” she said.
Newton said Tshepang has been performed to 14000 pupils over the past 10 years with very successful question and answer sessions afterwards.
“The exam question as it is presented indicates that there is a misinterpretation on the part those who set this question.”
Local women’s groups, however, reacted with shock.
Living Waters CEO Melonie Gobel said while rape was a topical issue which needed to discussed on a broad platform.
“Dialogues around rape need to happen in a safe place and I think it was completely unacceptable to bring this up in an exam situation,” she said.
Masimanyane CEO Dr Leslie Ann Foster said society had the responsibility to protect children from issues deemed too graphic.
“What if one of the youngsters had been a rape survivor still dealing with the trauma of it or is perhaps still going through something similar right now?” she asked.
Angie defends matric rape task
The question appeared in Monday’s Dramatic Arts exam and raised the ire of parents, education experts and anti-rape activists.
It was based on an extract from the play Tshepang by Lara Foot Newton, which depicts the story of the rape of a nine-month-old baby.
In a statement issued by the ministry yesterday, Motshekga said there was no enactment of rape, as stated by some media reports.
The question, which appeared in Section C and was deemed compulsory, read: “Describe how you would get the actor portraying Simon to perform line 9 to maximise the horror of the rape for the audience”.
Defending the question Motshekga said Grade 12 pupils were young adults who were fully aware of the social issues confronting the country. “Dramatic Arts, like all other art forms, are powerful vehicles for creating social awareness and education to societal issues that need to be addressed to bring about change,” Motshekga said.
The minister further stated that if the department picked up on a trend which showed that pupils had been negatively affected by the question, then it would be excluded from the exams and marking schedules adjusted accordingly.
Playwright Newton said the department approached her six years ago to use the play Tshepang as a setwork and that was the last contact she had with them.
“I am not sure of the particulars of the exam question, but if it was set as an ‘unseen extract’ from the work, or if the play has not been studied or seen by the learners, then that question is totally inappropriate and frankly appalling,” she said.
Newton said Tshepang has been performed to 14000 pupils over the past 10 years with very successful question and answer sessions afterwards.
“The exam question as it is presented indicates that there is a misinterpretation on the part those who set this question.”
Local women’s groups, however, reacted with shock.
Living Waters CEO Melonie Gobel said while rape was a topical issue which needed to discussed on a broad platform.
“Dialogues around rape need to happen in a safe place and I think it was completely unacceptable to bring this up in an exam situation,” she said.
Masimanyane CEO Dr Leslie Ann Foster said society had the responsibility to protect children from issues deemed too graphic.
“What if one of the youngsters had been a rape survivor still dealing with the trauma of it or is perhaps still going through something similar right now?” she asked.
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