Mmolotsi wants inquiry into exams scandal

Lekopanye Mooketsi
Correspondent | Monday November 22, 2010 00:00

 

Teachers refused to invigilate examinations this year because they could not agree on terms with BEC. The BEC ended up engaging private invigilators who had no experience on the job.

As result of this fracas, Mmolotsi tabled a motion in Parliament for the government to probe whether the examinations were conducted in a proper manner.

Mmolotsi said the 2010 final examinations were marred by a lot of controversy.  'By and large, they will go down the history as the most chaotic ever.  Educationists have labeled them as comedy of errors whilst in some instances, observers view them as a joke of the century,' he said.

The Francistown South legislator said candidates who sat for the 2010 final examinations are facing an uncertain future because they cannot predict the 'shape and colour of the exams they wrote'.

He said a lot of students find it difficult to blame themselves for the problems that were caused by the system.

'It will be a great surprise if the results come out positive because the conduct of the examination left a lot to be desired.

The big question in the mind of the learner, the teacher and the parent is how the students are going to be cushioned?  If they fail, is there any remedy?' he wondered.

He revealed that out of the 206 junior secondary schools, 162 did not do any course work for the students while only 44 schools have done it. Mmolotsi said teachers in 44 schools have no handed the course marks pending the results of negotiations.

'Of the 28 senior schools, 21 did not do course work assessment and the seven schools that have assessed have withheld the marks pending the results of the negotiations'.

The MP told Parliament that course work forms an essential part of the final mark that the learner gets.

He added that 20 subjects at senior school have a course work component while for Junior Certificate it is six.

He believes that the commission of inquiry will reveal who is wrong. It will also determine whether this type of situation could have been avoided or whether the authorities took the right decision.

His motion seeks to establish whether the 2010 examinations satisfy both the validity and reliability tests. It should also establish whether the students wrote the exams under an environment that was conducive for the exercise. 

He wondered whether the environment was not intimidating, citing an example of two students who were assaulted by a lay invigilator at Marulamantsi Junior Secondary School. 

It will also determine whether the invigilators were competent enough for the task.

He said it is also in doubt whether the invigilators followed the rules, citing another incident at Gaborone Secondary School (GSS) where a Physics invigilator did not allow students to use calculators. He insisted that the invigilator's decision disadvantaged 100 students.

'Subjects like Design and Technology (D&T), Computer Studies, Home Economics need technical support. How did invigilators manage without teachers who have expertise?  The cases of wrong ingredients bought for the exams and some computers freezing have been recorded,' he said.

Mmolotsi spoke about cases of malpractices such as the leaking of the exam papers before time, at Montsamaisa Junior Secondary School where a French passage was read on Friday and the paper written on Monday.

He said at Donga Junior Secondary School, Home Economics Paper One was distributed to students instead of Paper 2. It was collected when the students had already seen the questions. 'The same papers were subsequently administered to learners throughout the whole country. We may never know how many candidates in Botswana knew the questions before exam time if we do not go the commission of enquiry route,' he charged.

Mmolotsi said his motion is motivated by a number of incidents that were reported in various schools.

He noted that a Home Economics paper was not written on the scheduled dates in junior secondary schools like Radikolo, Lerala and Ramotswa due to the unavailability of invigilators.  At Radikolo, it was only written a week later when all the schools had finished, said Mmolotsi, further revealing that at the same school, the practical session for the same subject started very late.

At Moshupa Senior Secondary School, said the MP, students sneaked out examination papers to do the tests outside the exam room.  At GSS, a student was burnt during the Home Economics exam because of laxity on the part of the invigilator. 

'How many similar cases do we know of? How then do we get to know about it. 

A commission of enquiry is the only answer,' said Mmolotsi, further pointing out other instances of irregularities. He said at many centres, invigilators were chatting on the phones outside the exam rooms and allowing students to go to the toilets unaccompanied.

'This opened gaps for copying as students usually write answers on the walls of toilets and sometimes keep school bags with books in toilets,' said the Francistown South MP. 

The debate on Mmolotsi's motion will continue on Friday.