The department of basic education says should the decision to re-write the two leaked exam papers be set aside it will mean the certification of the two subjects will be put in abeyance for months.
The department’s director general Mathanzima Mweli said in his affidavit filed in the North Gauteng High Court that this would mean a few hundred thousand pupils who wished to enroll at higher education institutions would not be able to do so.
"These learners will be forced to lose a whole academic year," he said.
Mweli was responding to a court challenge by SA democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), Afrirorum and other interested parties to review state's decision to make 2020 matriculants rewrite their mathematics paper 2 and physical science paper 2.
Mweli said even though the applicants were seeking directions to interdict and restrict the minister from implementing or giving effect to the decision communicated on Friday for both papers to be re-written, the decision was taken by him.
“The decision was not taken by the minister but was taken by myself as the director general of the department in conjunction with Quality Assurance Body, Umalusi. It was taken pursuant to the provisions of the regulations pertaining to the conduct, administration and management of the national senior examination,” Mweli said.
He said the minister’s role was to communicate the decision to the general public.
Mweli said the leak of the two exam papers were widespread as the preliminary investigations indicate that there were more than 15 WhatsApp groups where the papers were shared.
“Umalusi had already indicated that because the papers were compromised it will not be able to certify the results which is another reason why the re-write of the exams is appropriate under the circumstances.”
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