Leaked Mathematics paper adds more stress to learners

The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education says the reports on a leaked Mathematics Paper 2 places all learners who wrote the paper under pressure.

“This year, with the disruptions to the academic year due to the outbreak of COVID-19 has already been stressful to the Class of 2020. This will clearly add more stress and it is still early in the examinations,” said Committee Chairperson Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba.

This follows the reports that learners in Gauteng and Limpopo allegedly had access to the Mathematics Paper 2 in the early hours of Monday morning, hours before the paper could be written.

In a statement on Monday, the Department of Basic Education said that it will investigate the circumstances around a leaked Mathematics Paper 2 fully and thoroughly.

The department said the origins of the leak were not clear at the time but the matric candidates who had access to the question paper appeared to be located in Limpopo and Gauteng Provinces.

“The department verified the content of the question paper and found it to be the same as the question paper that was to be written at 9am. The Department of Basic Education is investigating the matter to establish the extent of the leak,” the department said.

The department has enlisted the help of law enforcement authorities to investigate the matter to establish the extent of the leak.

Mbinqo-Gigaba appealed to all Grade 12 learners to act honourably and to put in effort without resorting to cheating.

“Buying or selling a Grade 12 examination paper before it is written is a criminal offence. Both the seller and the buyer are committing a crime,” Mbinqo-Gigaba said.

The allegations of the leak come a few days after the department announced that an undisclosed number of matric pupils in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal were caught with crib notes during an examination last week.

The department said it was dealing with the incident and strengthening vigilance in examination centres to protect the integrity of the exam process.

Mbinqo-Gigaba said the committee will ask the Department of Basic Education to brief it on these matters during its next engagement.