Cape Town - Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier is urging matrics to uphold their promises to not cheat, attempt to cheat or go against the commitment agreements (CA) for their National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams.
Ahead of their final NSC exams, matrics, along with their parents or guardians in the Western Cape, signed CAs outlining behaviour that is not acceptable during the NSC exams and what could happen to the candidate should they not adhere to the set standards.
Among the rules stipulated in the agreement, the department explained that candidates were not permitted to have cellphones and notes in the exam room. The agreement also outlines the responsibility of the candidate to report any information or rumour regarding exam irregularities.
Maynier said: “Last week, I visited Vista Nova High School in Pinelands to wish matric candidates the best for the exams and to witness the signing of their matric commitment agreements for their NSC exams.
“I urge every candidate to take the agreement very, very seriously. They have signed the formal agreement and cannot later claim to have not known they could not have notes in the exam room or had forgotten that they had a cellphone with them.”
Maynier said while the department did not record any mass cheating incidents during the 2021 exams, 9 learners were found in possession of crib notes, and a further 14 brought a cellphone into the exam room.
He said: “The consequences of such actions are serious. If found guilty, a candidate could be disqualified from the exam, and even be barred from writing up to three subsequent exams.
“Criminal prosecution could also be instituted should it be found that the candidate was involved in the leakage of any exam question paper. The severe consequences outweigh any perceived benefit of cheating. It is simply not worth it.
“Our matrics are old enough to understand the importance of following the rules, and parents also have a responsibility to ensure that their children understand what behaviour is not allowed during their exam period,” Maynier said.
Tomorrow (Tues) 11 030 learners will start their matric exams with the Computer Applications Technology (Cat) practical, and 927 learners will complete their Information Technology (IT) practical exam on Wednesday.
“I hope that Eskom will be able to safeguard the exam times from load shedding, but we nonetheless have clear protocols in place in case of power failures during the practical exams and will monitor the situation closely.
“We wish our matrics all the best for their practical exams this week and look forward to celebrating their results in January,” Maynier said.