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The entrance to Marude Secondary School.

Examination leakage at Marude Secondary causes uncertain future for Grade 12s

 

The Department of Education in Limpopo and the community of Vhembe in particular are in a state of uncertainty and a big storm is brewing in the area. This follows the discovery that the Life Science Paper 2 for Grade 12 had been leaked at Marude Secondary School in Thohoyandou.

The leak, believed to be the first since the examinations started in Limpopo, became the talk of the country on Tuesday and is a big embarrassment to the Vhembe Department of Education as Vhembe has, for the past number of years, consistently produced good quality results. Rumours are doing the rounds that two pupils at the school were fingered as possesing the leaked paper. It is believed to be the tip of the iceberg, however, as they could have passed the paper to friends who could also have passed it to others.

The leak was such a big event that Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga took much of Tuesday to respond to queries about the leak. It has also become a source of discomfort to other Grade 12 pupils, who fear they could be punished for the sins of others.

During a visit to the school, Mirror found pupils busy in groups preparing for the examinations. Many did not even know there had been an examination leak at their school. "Who knows, we might well be forced to rewrite the paper, even though we know nothing about the leak. It is very bad for us who prepared for the examinations, and then others just come with their papers to disturb us. The department should make an example of them, so that others will be deterred from cheating," said a pupil who preferred to remain anonymous.

When asked to comment, the chairperson of the Marude SGB, Mr Joseph Malao, he was hearing the news for the first time. "This is news to me. Had it happened at our school, I hope I would have been among the first to hear about that," he said.

Dr Naledzani Rasila of the Limpopo Department of Education confirmed that the department was investigating the leak at the school. "This is the first incident since we started with our examinations and we are assessing the impact, as to how many could have been involved. The outcome could lead to a rewrite or a three-year suspension for the affected pupils. If officials are involved in any way, that will result in a court case," he said.

News - Date: 23 November 2015

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Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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