Exam chief leaker shared 19 papers
Larona Makhaiza | Monday October 23, 2023 06:00
Disclosing some information about the scandalous leak, Minister of Education and Skills Development (MESD), Dr Douglas Letsholathebe said that a total of seven of syllabi (subjects) and 19 components (examination papers) were leaked.
The seven syllabi are; Science Double Award (SDA), Mathematics, Commerce, Social Studies, Setswana, Geography and English.
Addressing members of the media yesterday, Letsholathebe said the chief invigilator landed his/her hands on the examination papers, as he was one of the few personnel who had access to the examinations. Letsholathebe added that the leaker then shared them with private centers for the latter to use in their revisions.
“Last week we told the public that we are carrying investigations to find out who is responsible for the leakages or the malpractice of the examinations and I can now say that we have finally found our suspects. The primary suspect in the matter is a chief invigilator from one of the private examination centers,” Letsholathebe revealed.
The minister further stated that after Letsholathebe said that the leaked examination papers did not stop only with the chief invigilator and the five private tuition centers but also found their way to some of the candidates sitting for examinations. He added that the candidates in question are also from the private sectors.
“Our investigations have also led us to find out that the cycle runs deep as we have found out that the papers found their way to 10 candidates,” Letsholathebe stated. Additionally, Minister Letsholathebe stated they are not yet in a position to reveal names of the culprits as they have been advised to refrain from doing so by Botswana Police Service (BPS). The latter is said to be handling the matter as investigations continue.
“The investigations on these issues are still ongoing and the chief invigilator is also being investigated by us (BEC and MESD) together with police. The suspects are yet to appear before the magistrate court,” he said. Meanwhile, Letsholathebe recently revealed that provided the suspected people in the leakages are found guilty by the courts they will pay hefty prices for their actions.
“If the suspects are found guilty according to Section 25 Act of BEC Amendment which stipulates that they can be ordered to pay a fine between P200 000 and P500 000 or face a ten year imprisonment,” he revealed.