The department of basic education has told teacher unions that a decision on whether all pupils or only those in a circuit, district or province will rewrite maths paper 2 will be based on the recommendation of the investigative team.
The department revealed last week that “pockets of pupils” were found to have had access to the maths paper 2 before it was written by more than 391,000 pupils on November 16.
The team comprising officials of the department, Umalusi, the South African Qualifications Authority and Universities South Africa (USAf) have started working to determine the source and extent of the leak.
Ben Machipi, general secretary of the Professional Educators’ Union (PEU), told the department during a meeting with the unions on Saturday that they “unequivocally condemned” the leak because “it is despicable and an attack on the education system and the credibility of the exams”.
“We, as unions, were emphatic and unanimous to say let the perpetrators be brought to book and let their names be made public.”
Meanwhile, the country’s maths experts have warned against ordering all pupils to rewrite the paper.
Deonarain Brijlall, a professor of maths in the faculty of applied sciences at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), said: “The majority of learners were not exposed to the leaked paper and should not [bear] the brunt of a rewrite due to an immoral few.”
He said a rewrite “could lead to depression and frustration”, adding: “Learners who did not cheat and felt the examination fair would now become anxious by contemplating the level of difficulty of a rewrite question paper.”
The team has been given until November 30 to complete the first phase of its investigation so a rewrite can be done by December 15, if necessary.
Sarah Bansilal, a professor of mathematics education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), said pupils will find it stressful to rewrite a paper that is generally considered “challenging”.
She said paper 2 included Euclidean geometry and trigonometry, which many found difficult, according to research.
“Many learners who are anxious about these sections may find it stressful to go through it again. For those learners who struggle with math anxiety a rewrite will increase their stress.”
Bansilal said math anxiety or math phobia is a reality for many pupils and this affects them negatively, especially under exam conditions.
She said only a small number of pupils may not find the rewrite stressful since they have developed “such a strong understanding of the subject matter”.
Jacques du Plessis, a lecturer in maths education at Wits University, said getting pupils to rewrite “should be an absolute last resort”.
All over the country learners and teachers are under enormous strain, and this can only heighten their stress levels to a point that will undermine their ability to complete the examinations successfully.
— Maths education lecturer Jacques du Plessis
“All over the country learners and teachers are under enormous strain, and this can only heighten their stress levels to a point that will undermine their ability to complete the examinations successfully.”
But Felix Maringe, dean of education at Wits University, said “it seems reasonable to arrange for a resit [of the exam] across the country” as the paper was leaked to almost all provinces.
“I think a rewrite is inevitable unless someone is keen on cutting corners.”
Prof Labby Ramrathan, from UKZN’s school of education, said there were other ways of managing the impact of a leak, such as reviewing the variance in performance between the leaked maths paper 2 and other maths papers.
“If there is a great variance, then further investigation can be initiated.”
David de Korte, principal of Camps Bay High in the Western Cape, said they were “earnestly wishing there is no rewrite”.
“However, if the integrity of the paper has been compromised and many hundreds of people are found to have seen the paper, then I am guessing that the DBE [department of basic education] will have no option but to call for a rewrite.”
Umalusi spokesperson Lucky Ditaunyane declined to comment on the impact that a rewrite of the paper will have on pupils.
“We can only respond to this question based on the outcome of DBE’s investigation and the report it will submit to Umalusi.”
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