Parliament welcomes DBE's swift action to contain Matric exams leak

The chairperson of Parliament’s Basic Education Committee, Joy Maimela, said that they welcome the swift action taken by the department to contain the exam leak incident.

Maimela said this will also protect the integrity of the examination system.

The Gauteng Department of Education, meanwhile, has also commended its provincial examination markers for successfully detecting the anomaly that indicated an examination breach during the marking process.

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The portfolio committee and Gauteng provincial department were reacting to Minister Siviwe Gwarube’s urgent briefing on Thursday, where she announced the exam breach.

Gwarube said over 900,000 learners sat for the exams that are being marked by over 51,000 trained markers.

“These markers are in 183 marking centres across the country. They work together in a collaborative manner to ensure candidates' scripts are marked accurately and fairly.”

Maimela said that while they noted the seriousness of the matter, the committee welcomes the department's quick reaction.

The Gauteng Department of Education also lauded its provincial examination markers for successfully detecting the anomaly in the question papers.

Education MEC Matome Chiloane said in a statement that in one instance, the answers were almost a direct reproduction of the official marking guide.

Exams quality assurer Umalusi, meanwhile, assured the class of 2025 and their families that the investigations into the breach will in no way delay the release of the matric results of learners who are not implicated in the reported irregularities.