By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
@GalloImages.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has rejected suggestions that it may have been behind the error in the Geography Paper 2 exam.
An error was discovered last week in a question paper belonging to another one of the four examination boards registered with national exam body Umalusi.
Matrics who wrote the corresponding subject set by the DBE experienced no inconvenience, however, 967 pupils registered with the South African Comprehensive Assessment Institute (Sacai) did.
Sacai is a non-profit company that provides National Senior Certificate (NSC) assessment services to a diverse range of educational institutions.
In a short statement, the department said, the incident involves another assessment body and not the Department of Basic Education examinations.”
“The department said it has noted a media statement in which reference is made to the Department of Basic Education National Senior Certificate examination.”
“The Department of Basic Education is neither affected nor involved in this matter,” the statement said.
“No further comment will be made in this regard.”
The mistakes, which amounted to 79 marks worth of incorrect questions, prompted immediate actions to mitigate the impact on students.
Those observing the matric exams with interest suggested the error could compromise the overall testing process.
“The NSC examinations are a critical determinant of future opportunities for our learners and errors of this nature risk compromising both fairness and credibility,” stated Education Activist Hendrick Makaneta.
The error was spotted by multiple invigilators overseeing Sacai’s Geography 2 paper.
Sacai CEO Chris Klopper said, that the error involved the printing of an earlier uncorrected draft of the English version of the Geography 2 paper.
Pupils were “quarantined” while affected sections of the paper were reprinted, before the the pupils were able to complete the examination.
Makaneta had called for an investigation into the incident, but Sacai had acted proactively by offering a full explanation to pupils and parents, attributing the incident to human error.
“We stand in solidarity with the affected learners and their families and call on all stakeholders in the education sector to provide support during this difficult time, “said Makaneta.
Makaneta said the Department of Basic Education needed to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and ensure that urgent and effective steps were taken to mitigate the impact on the affected learners.