The almost 900 Mpumalanga matric pupils who had their 2004 exam results nullified for allegedly cheating will get a second chance, the Mpumalanga department of education said on Wednesday.
”Given the information at our disposal, which suggests that most were in one way or another assisted by educators or invigilators, we think it is fair and just to give them a second chance to write their exams,” spokesperson Jasper Zwane said.
The rewrites will take place at the end of 2005 and candidates can register on April 15.
The department feels that falling behind by a whole year on future plans is punishment enough.
It supports education authority Umalusi’s decision not to certify the results of 843 candidates by also nullifying them.
It made the decision on rewrites in line with the province’s National Policy on the Conduct, Administration and Management of the Assessment of the Senior Certificate.
This policy states that where it can be shown that pupils were assisted during an examination and admitted it, they will have a second chance to write.
It also dictates that where an irregularity has been committed and the pupil denies it, the pupil should be barred from writing exams for two years.
Zwane said that ”for now” everybody will have a chance to rewrite.
The teachers and invigilators are currently facing individual disciplinary procedures being conducted by a committee of members from the national and provincial departments of education.
Examination centres at which these irregularities occurred may also be deregistered if found guilty of flouting policies and undermining the integrity of the examinations, Zwane said.
Matric results were withheld at 11 examination centres during the two-month investigation.
In a separate statement, Umalusi said it has not made an agreement on the rewrites with the Congress of South African Students, as earlier reported in other media.
”It is not in Umalusi’s power to make such a decision. Decisions on when candidates may rewrite their senior-certificate examination are the responsibility of the provincial department of education and not Umalusi,” it said. — Sapa