The FF Plus was dismayed to learn that a second matric paper has been matric paper. The fact that the leaked question paper was disseminated in eight of the nine provinces points to the severity and extent of the problem. It also casts a shadow on the integrity of the National Senior Certificate (NSC).
People’s perceptions of the NSC have, over the last few years, become tainted, mainly due to the low pass requirements. This was partially remedied when employers and citizens realised that the various gradings of the certificate usually indicate exactly on which level the qualification was obtained.
Seeing as it is an external exam which is reliably managed by the Department of Basic Education, people generally maintained their faith in the NSC.
Incidents of leaked question papers, however, undermine their faith in the system. The two independent examinations authorities, the IEB and SACAI, could probably expect to see more interest in their services.
The FF Plus’s educational policy is that schools must have the right to decide for themselves which examinations authority they want to use. And if it is not the Department of Basic Education, the funds that would have been spent on each learner in any case must be paid to the examinations authority of choice. Parents and / or schools should only be responsible for paying the difference.
The FF Plus’s policy could very well be the solution for schools that want to protect the integrity of the National Senior Certificate for which they are preparing learners.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Dr. Wynand Boshoff on FF Plus
South Africa Today – South Africa News
