Matric pupils writing geography paper 2 at 17 centres in Limpopo were given extra time to write the exam, which was delayed by almost an hour because the delivery vehicle had a puncture.
There was also an attempted hijacking of a security escort vehicle during the distribution of one of the afternoon papers in Zululand in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
These were among the issues that surfaced during the writing of the 2022 matric question papers this year, according to impeccable sources.
An update on the progress of the matric exams was provided at a special meeting of the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) comprising basic education minister Angie Motshekga and her nine provincial counterparts on December 7.
More than 921,000 pupils entered for the exams, now being marked by almost 54,000 markers at 187 marking centres across the country.
TimesLIVE Premium learnt that the writing of the Afrikaans paper at an exam centre in Eastern Cape was delayed by an hour because of a shortage of 43 question papers, but pupils were given extra time to compensate for the lost time.
The start of the geography paper 2 at some centres in Eastern Cape was also delayed by a Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) strike.
Other issues that threatened the smooth running of the exams, according to sources, included:
- Suspected food poisoning at some venues used as writing centres in Free State and North West
- A total of 1,127 candidates from seven schools in Mpumalanga could not write the exams because of community protests, and 189 parents in Northern Cape stormed a school calling for the suspension of a pupil
- 53 candidates from Phandimfundo Secondary School in Etwatwa, Gauteng, did not write the exams after the principal requested pupils write them over two sittings
- 19 pupils from North West wrote an exam late after they were detained in the principal’s office because they did not attend a weekend camp
- Some pupils from North West missed maths literacy paper 2 due to floods
- A box containing isiXhosa question papers was opened on November 21 instead of a box containing Setswana papers, which was to have been written that day. The isiXhosa paper was only scheduled to be written on November 23.
Sources said the box containing the isiXhosa papers was recovered and replaced with the correct box.
A source told TimesLIVE Premium that rewrite opportunities were provided to many pupils affected by exam glitches, including a pregnant pupil from Western Cape and another from Limpopo who were not allowed to write English first additional language paper 1.
Tragically, a candidate based at a camp in Limpopo during the writing of the exams drowned in a river on November 24.
Another issue that cropped up was an “unsolvable” question in the maths paper 2 carrying seven marks, which was later excluded from the marking process.
Exams quality assurer Umalusi appointed a three-member panel to probe what led to the inclusion of this “problematic” question in trigonometry in the paper.
The exams in Mpumalanga were overshadowed by allegations that a teacher at Dlumana High in the Manyeleti circuit removed a life sciences paper 2 from the exam venue while it was being written and posted the answers on a teachers’ WhatsApp group, apparently by mistake.
The answers were allegedly intended for a WhatsApp group which pupils paid up to R1,500 to join in return for answers posted while exams were in session.
The teacher, who was a deputy chief invigilator at the school, was placed on precautionary suspension.
A source told TimesLIVE Premium that rewrite opportunities were provided to many pupils affected by exam glitches, including a pregnant pupil from Western Cape and another from Limpopo who were not allowed to write English first additional language paper 1.
Basic education department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the small glitches did not impact on the overall administration of the exams.
“The system had more pupils than in the previous years, so it was challenged in many respects, and it stood the test of time.”
Said Mhlanga: “The exams ran smoothly seeing there were many challenges stacked against it, from load-shedding to protests.
“Marking is progressing well, and there are no issues to worry the department.”
Marking is expected to be completed by December 20, and Umalusi will make an announcement on the approval of the results on January 12.
Motshekga will announce the results on January 19, and these will be released by the provinces on January 20.
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