Picture: THE TIMES
Picture: THE TIMES

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THE Department of Basic Education will oversee matric exams in Limpopo after the second life sciences paper was leaked.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has confirmed the leak.

"At about 6am on Monday morning we received a tip-off ... that the life sciences paper two had been leaked; the department was able to verify the information and confirm that the paper provided an hour before the examination could commence was the official question paper.

"This confirmed a compromise (of) the question paper," said Ms Motshekga on Tuesday.

The 2014 matric exams were rocked by a group-cheating scandal that affected schools in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

Now a task team will be established to investigate the source of the breach in Limpopo, to assess the credibility of the exam and how this can be prevented in future, said Ms Motshekga.

Department officials, the South African Qualifications Authority, Universities SA and exam quality assurer Umalusi will form part of the task team.

"The department will increase its presence in the province (by sending more) officials (to Limpopo) ... At the moment there are 30 department officials and monitors and they will focus on the locale of the alleged leak. These officials, together with the monitors, will also cover every district and circuit in the province in the remaining two weeks (of the examinations)," said Ms Motshekga.

The minister said Umalusi had initially verified the Limpopo education department’s capacity to manage and administer the 2015 matric exams, but had then sent a letter to the national department in which it expressed serious reservations about the province’s readiness to administer the exams.

Umalusi also asked the national department to assist Limpopo with exam management and administration.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Tuesday it had voiced concerns about Limpopo, but the minister had ignored them.

"We warned Minister Motshekga last week that the irregular appointment of a printing company in Limpopo might result in examination papers being leaked. It is apparent that our fears were justified," DA MP and party spokesman on basic education Gavin Davis said on Tuesday.

"The DA reiterates its call for the minister to make a statement on the Limpopo exam crisis in Parliament (on Wednesday), as agreed last week. The minister has skipped oral questions twice this year. The least she can do is appear before us to account for the crisis in Limpopo," Mr Davis said.

The DA has written to the parliamentary speaker asking that Ms Motshekga appear before MPs to make an urgent statement on Limpopo.

The Limpopo education department allegedly failed to follow procedure when it hired companies to print standardised question papers for grades 10 and 11, giving rise to fears that papers could be leaked.