Gauteng matric exams: 45 pupils caught with cheat notes
Officials at exam centres across Gauteng managed to stop 45 learners from trying to cheat in their National Senior Certificate Examinations.
In one extreme case, an “impostor” was discovered writing a matric paper on behalf of another student (a similar incident happened in Newcastle, KZN.)
Giving an update on Sunday on the matric exams rollout in the province, Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane acknowledged these cases but said he was pleased overall with the administration of this year’s National Senior Certificate Examinations.
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A GOOD TURNOUT
A little over 188,000 candidates in the province sat for their matric exams in 2023.
“Our invigilators were vigilant…they were able to pick up all the 45 learners. It’s a drop in the ocean compared to the number of learners who wrote the exam,” Chiloane said.
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The learners that were caught were allegedly trying to get into exam centres with notes hidden around their bodies, or scribbled on their arms, while at least five learners were caught smuggling cellphones into exam centres.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN LEARNERS CHEAT?
By law, if a pupil is found guilty of cheating, they face disqualification from exams and will not receive their National Senior Certificate.
If someone is accused of cheating, there will be a hearing, and if found guilty, a punishment will be determined which can involve being barred from writing multiple exams that year.
If an educator is found to have facilitated cheating, for example, by leaking an exam paper, they will be reported to the police and can face criminal charges.
Matric results are set to be released on 18 January 2024.