Fines imposed on teachers who helped Mpumalanga matric pupils to cheat are ”absurdly” low and not a deterrent, the Democratic Alliance said on Tuesday.
”Instead, it will make it clear to all teachers that the consequences of helping children to cheat are negligible,” DA education spokesperson Helen Zille said.
Last year, it was found that 61 teachers had helped matric pupils to cheat by leaking exam answers or allowing them to cheat in other ways.
The Mpumalanga provincial government has disclosed that the teachers will be fined R3 000 each, be given a written warning and be prohibited from marking exams for two years.
”But these teachers were never exam markers to start off with — they were invigilators, and they will presumably be allowed to continue invigilating, which is where the fraud took place,” Zille said.
”This is absurd. There are no career-related consequences and despite having actively helped matric pupils to commit fraud, their jobs are safe.”
This action sends a message to dishonest teachers that, if they want to profit from pupils’ desire to cheat, they simply have to set the price high enough to cover the measly fine that will be imposed if they are caught.
It also sends a hugely demoralising message to honest teachers, who see corruption among their colleagues receiving only the mildest punishment.
It is an enormous indictment on the provincial government that one of the teachers who blew the whistle on exam fraud has had a far rougher ride than those who committed the fraud.
While the whistle-blower was initially suspended and then later temporarily fired, the perpetrators have been protected.
”It is inexplicable that the provincial education department could have considered this to be an adequate response.
”Unless the department acts with more conviction and vigour, it is virtually inevitable that matric exams at the end of this year will again be plagued by cheating.
”What happened to Minister [of Education] Naledi Pandor’s promise that ‘heads would roll’?” Zille asked. — Sapa