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The DA is extremely concerned by what appears to be a major breach in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations process at Karina Secondary School in Pietermaritzburg yesterday.

The incident occurred during the writing of English Paper 3 when 30 learners were mistakenly handed the Religious Studies paper, due to be written in the afternoon.

When the error was raised by learners, it is alleged that only 29 of the 30 religious studies papers were initially recovered, with the last one only being recovered some time later.

It is alarming that learners had enough time to go through the Religious Studies paper to the extent that it can be considered to be leaked. While not all who received this paper in the morning were writing it in the afternoon, there is always the possibility of the contents being discussed with others.

It has also emerged that there was a shortage of English papers delivered to the school. Upon establishing this, the school was allowed to print the number of copies that had been short supplied by the province’s Department of Education (DoE).

That papers were printed at a school, that the incorrect number of papers were printed and delivered by the DoE and that the wrong paper was handed out at the wrong time to the wrong learners is an epic disaster in the examination process.

The DA will urgently raise this concern with KZN Education MEC, Mbali Frazer, in the form of a Motion to be tabled in the KZN Legislature today.

We expect MEC Frazer to urgently launch a departmental probe into this irregularity and to make the findings public as soon as possible.  There are implications for many of these learners, whose lives could be placed on hold if a re-write is needed for these two subjects.

The DA has already raised the issue with the Chairperson of KZN’s Education portfolio committee telephonically. We also intend writing to Umalusi to request a probe. Absolute fairness and credibility of the process must be ensured.

KZN’s DoE - under the leadership of the province’s Taliban faction ANC government - continues to lurch from one crisis to another on such a frequent basis that it is hard to keep up.

The DA is ready to clean up this department. Only KZN’s citizens can rescue our province from the ANC or an ANC/EFF coalition when they go to the ballot box in 2024.

Issued by Dr Imran Keeka, MPL - DA KZN Spokesperson on Education