Eastern Cape schools implicated last year in group cheating during matric exams have taken the Department of Education to court.
The action comes after the department refused to release the results of implicated pupils.
Department of Basic Education (DBE) spokesman Elijah Mhlanga yesterday confirmed that seven schools had taken the department to court, although no trial date had yet been allocated.
The names of the schools taking action have not been officially released.
Mhlanga said DBE and the provincial education department would defend the case. “The case is similar to the one in KwaZulu-Natal. The learners requested that their results be released.
“The Eastern Cape education department is however still busy with disciplinary proceedings.”
The parties reached a stalemate when affected schools declined an offer by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga for implicated pupils to write supplementary exams.
Pupils were then told they would be allowed to write the final exams, which started on Monday, provided they confessed to cheating.
However, parents declined and are demanding the release of the results of last year’s exam.
A senior official in the provincial department of education, Mzimhle Mabona, told the Bhisho Legislature’s portfolio committee on education, that: “The minister indicated that she is extending opportunity to parents to reconsider so that whatever the outcome of the court case is, these pupils will not lose a year but the lawyers representing the schools did not buy that and we have not managed to make any headway.”
He said those who had confessed had been given an opportunity to write supplementary exams.
“The results for supplementary exams were unconditionally released and given zero year punishment,” he said.
Mabona said under normal circumstances, a pupil given a sanction because of irregularities would lose a year without participating in exams.
Those who had confessed were given a concession of a year if they failed supplementary exams, meaning another chance was given to them to write affected subjects.
He said the department had been unable to finalise all the cases, especially relating to seven schools.
Mabona said the department had also taken a decision not to disturb pupils, who had registered to write exams, by calling them to hearings while they were writing exams.
He said at some schools cases were finalised and 53 teachers were implicated and hearings were going ahead.
DBE had extended the date to finalise cases relating to group copying to December 15. — msindisif@dispatch.co.za
Matric exam cheating suspects take state to court
The action comes after the department refused to release the results of implicated pupils.
Department of Basic Education (DBE) spokesman Elijah Mhlanga yesterday confirmed that seven schools had taken the department to court, although no trial date had yet been allocated.
The names of the schools taking action have not been officially released.
Mhlanga said DBE and the provincial education department would defend the case. “The case is similar to the one in KwaZulu-Natal. The learners requested that their results be released.
“The Eastern Cape education department is however still busy with disciplinary proceedings.”
The parties reached a stalemate when affected schools declined an offer by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga for implicated pupils to write supplementary exams.
Pupils were then told they would be allowed to write the final exams, which started on Monday, provided they confessed to cheating.
However, parents declined and are demanding the release of the results of last year’s exam.
A senior official in the provincial department of education, Mzimhle Mabona, told the Bhisho Legislature’s portfolio committee on education, that: “The minister indicated that she is extending opportunity to parents to reconsider so that whatever the outcome of the court case is, these pupils will not lose a year but the lawyers representing the schools did not buy that and we have not managed to make any headway.”
He said those who had confessed had been given an opportunity to write supplementary exams.
“The results for supplementary exams were unconditionally released and given zero year punishment,” he said.
Mabona said under normal circumstances, a pupil given a sanction because of irregularities would lose a year without participating in exams.
Those who had confessed were given a concession of a year if they failed supplementary exams, meaning another chance was given to them to write affected subjects.
He said the department had been unable to finalise all the cases, especially relating to seven schools.
Mabona said the department had also taken a decision not to disturb pupils, who had registered to write exams, by calling them to hearings while they were writing exams.
He said at some schools cases were finalised and 53 teachers were implicated and hearings were going ahead.
DBE had extended the date to finalise cases relating to group copying to December 15. — msindisif@dispatch.co.za
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