The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) says it
is taking legal action against a decision by the Department of Basic Education,
and quality assurance education body Umalusi, to have Grade 12 learners rewrite
two leaked papers.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced on Friday
that Mathematics Paper 2 should be rewritten on Tuesday, December 15 and
Physical Science Paper 2 on Thursday, December 17.
”Sadtu will, on Monday, file an urgent court application to
interdict the department’s decision,” the statement read.
Sadtu, the largest teachers’ union in the country, said it
believed the decision was unfair and premature, because investigations into the
leaks had not been concluded.
“Based on the initial investigation, which has shown that
the number of learners who may have seen the paper are less than 200 out of the
390 000 who wrote the paper, there is no basis for a national rewrite,” the statement continued.
Sadtu said preparing for the 2020 matric exams was not easy
under the COVID-19 conditions and the learners’ mental health and readiness for
rewrite is a big issue.
Sadtu’s secretary-general, Mugwena Maluleke, said the
decision had left many learners and teachers distraught and frustrated.
“It undermines the work of our teachers and learners who
worked under difficult circumstances due to COVID-19. Learners are being
punished for something that is not of their making, as only a few saw the paper,”
Maluleke said.
SOURCE: News24
