NELSPRUIT - An educational nightmare is imminent in Mpumalanga,  threatening the essential basis of progress, the future of our youth and that of our country.
Recent arrests made in the matric exam papers leakages scandal, indicated a crack in the ice, but to what extent?  What caused the crack, how long has it been coming and how long before the collapse?
Already in 2001 the Mpumalanga Department of Education was exposed on Carte Blanche for manipulating marks in the province. In this instance, an official was paid R6 000 per school to do this, and the entire process was recorded on camera.
The official statement of the Examination Department at the time was that it was impossible to change marks, but they were again caught pushing Mpumalanga's marks up by 20%. Several cheating scandals followed in subsequent years.
A deeper look into the current situation seems to indicate that not much has changed and that recent arrests only exposed the tip of the iceberg.

Exams a farce - Cheating the order of
 the day
According to several teachers*  interviewed, the occurrence of cheating and the leakage of exam papers are and have been prevalent in Mpumalanga for several years now.
"We have reported leaks in the Preliminary Examinations for years but nothing has yet been done about it. This examination forms an integral part of the Continunal Assessment (CASS) mark, which is part of the final marks that are used to pass or fail a learner.
 "Again this year we discovered copies of Preliminary Examination papers, and worst of all, we found proof of memorandums (answer sheets) in the hands of learners. This was evident due to errors or incorrect answers in the memorandums reproduced word-for-word by learners on their answer sheets," says one teacher.
"From interviews with students, we were informed that these papers were readily available for amounts ranging from R30 to R50 before examinations, even memos must have been in  circulation. Again this could only have been leaked by an official in the education system,"
 he said.
Lowvelder is in possession of a list of names of children who were interviewed by the teaching staff after it became apparent that they cheated. Many of these learners admitted that they had the papers.
However, none admitted where they got it, spinning stories such as "I found it in an empty building" or "it was lying on the floor".
On one preliminary math paper, a question on a trigonometry expression was asked, and a particular learner copied the exact answer from the memorandum, which contained the answer to a trigonometry equation.
In this instance the answer on the memorandum did not correlate with the question on the paper, and the learner simply copied it without even realising the answer held no connection to the question.
"It is quite clear that an awareness is being created among learners that it is no longer necessary to study. They know for a fact that they can access the papers prior to the exams and don't bother to work," one teacher told Lowvelder.
"If any of these children end up entering university or technikon they'd probably drop out within a few months. A great injustice is being done to them," he said.
Another teacher told of senior learners who ended up in their classrooms, transferring from rural schools with averages ranging from 70% to 90%, who couldn't read or write properly.
"In matric a pupil must be able to read 220 words per minute (wpm) with 60% accuracy, yet we get senior learners, mostly from rural schools, who test at 40wpm with 15% accuracy," he says.
Yet another story tells of a history exam paper where an essay type question was copied word for word from the memorandum, and more disturbingly, of question papers received from the department with errors on it.
"On one math paper, I found several unsolvable equations. I had to correct it, and send it back to the department," he said.
Lowvelder also learnt of a case in which a learner had to answer an investigative question based on a described investigation. Instead of answering the question, which should have provided variables, the learner gave a guideline statement (word for word), as indicated on the memorandum.

Incomplete learner portfolios
Even before the advent of the final matric exams, countless students are faced with a challenge that could drastically influence their final marks.
In only one of many incidents during 2009, two matric learners* of the Cefups Academy in Nelspruit were forced to change schools after an incident of corporal punishment. After a harrowing experience at the school and a stint in hospital, several learners left and enrolled at the Nelspruit Private College (NPC) mid-year.
This was not the fist time this school has been linked to incidents of corporal punishment, yet investigations into these allegations have yielded no success.
As is normal practice in the the education sector, the learner's portfolio must be transferred from one school to another in the event of a change of school, as the CASS mark accounts for 25% of the learner’s final mark.
However, when NPC requested the learners' portfolios from Cefups, the request was simply refused.
Subsequently, the education department was contacted on many occasions by NPC to intervene and obtain the critical marks, but to no avail.
Lowvelder has in its possession copies of correspondence where on six occasions this information was requested from the department for a particular group of students, with no success.
"These marks are critical for formulating a final mark, and yet the department seems to be either totally ignorant of this, or totally incapable," a source at NPC said.
At the time the learners took their final exams, their CASS marks were still outstanding, and they and their teachers remain in the dark as to how their final mark was formulated, when they finally received it. Interviews with other parents and teachers, indicate a similar pattern.

Marks outstanding
After completing their final exams, scores of matriculants received incomplete results for reasons unknown to learners or teachers. Lowvelder is in possession of results sheets of several students who received no marks for subjects, with the department alleging that they had been absent.
"In all those cases we have documented proof that the learners were present to complete their exams. We received no explanation from the department and all the students can do is to wait it out. In some cases learners have to do so for prolonged periods before receiving their results."

Investigation underway
"The issue of the management and conduct of examinations in this province is currently under investigation and as such the issue remains sub-judice. My view is that the investigation will reveal the extent of the problem," education spokesperson, Mr Jasper Zwane said.
Meanwhile, teachers are their wits’ end, "I think it is about time that we put an end to the accusations and witch hunts against our youth and private schools in Mpumalanga. Don't persecute the learners, they are not to blame, the education officials to whom the examinations were entrusted should be made accountable - they are doing the youth in Mpumalanga a great injustice," the source  said.
* Identities protected