WESTERN CAPE NEWS - The Western Cape MEC for Education, Minister Debbie Schäfer, has given the assurance that security is in place to prevent any matric exam papers from leaking out.
In a statement issued by her on Wednesday she said,"Maintaining the integrity of the NSC examination is key and it is for this reason that today, I visited the NSC examination paper vault to assess security arrangements ahead of the 2015 National Senior Certificate examinations.
The vault, which contains the 2015 NSC examination papers, is under strict security surveillance to ensure that there are no possible leakages or irregularities."
• Papers are printed, packaged and immediately sealed in a tamper-proof bag;
• Examination papers are stored and packaged in a highly secured vault with only selected and very experienced officials permitted to work with the sealed papers.
• Each member of the staff has been screened and is monitored closely by security cameras. No cellphones are allowed.
• Every examination paper is bar-coded when printed to enable the tracking of every paper. Each candidate also has to place a bar-coded sticker on their examination script. This sticker enables the department to track every script through the entire examinations process. They are also then requested to fill in their unique examination number.
• Learners are also monitored during the examinations and markers have been trained to identify any irregularities in the examination.
• Invigilators were trained to be extremely attentive and pupils are warned of severe penalties if caught cheating. Schäfer says she is impressed with the arrangements that have been put in place. "This is a huge logistical exercise that requires careful planning and tight management.
