Matric exam papers leak exposes ongoing security issues at DBE

It has emerged that matric pupils at seven schools in Pretoria had access to National Senior Certificate exam papers in three subjects before they were written.

The subjects were English Home Language, Mathematics and Physical Science. Two Department of Basic Education (DBE) officials have since been suspended.

Executive Director of the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA), Basil Manuel says, "I've been in the matric marking scenario, it is not so much what learners get correct as much as what they get incorrect – and all of them get the same things incorrect, and even the misspelt words... and that starts the alert going off, and once the signals start, you start looking a little more carefully."

Manuel says that while it's positive that these markers were able to spot the problem quickly and easily, the issue remains that it was DBE officials who leaked the papers in the first place.

"These are long-serving employees in the department, and it seems they had ready access, and maybe that part ought to have been tighter."

To listen to Basil Manuel in conversation with 702's John Perlman, click the audio player below: