COSAS Gert Sibande Region

Catch Provincial Chairperson Cde Sphesihle UDlemnyama Gumbi on Kasi FM

Frequency : Kasi FM (101.1)
Time : 18:00/19:00 pm
Program: Current Affairs
Topic : COSAS COSAS Mpumalanga reaction on the 14 learners who were summoned by the Mpumalanga Department of Education to interviews relating to the leaked 2020 NSC questions papers.

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COSAS MPUMALANGA

MEDIA STATEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

14 January 2021

The Congress Of South African students in Mpumalanga is disgusted by the clownish tendencies displayed by the Department of Basic Education’s lack of accountability and deep jealousy of not want to see black learners from rural and under-privileged areas prosper. This follows after the department in Mpumalanga invited 14 learners from Nkululeko circuit to a so called interview relating to the leaked 2020 national senior certificate examination papers. The interview as conducted by the Provincial Education Irregularities Committee (PEIC) was to question the learners as they have been allegedly accused of having information that will assist the department’s investigation.

The Mpumalanga provincial secretary of COSAS was there on behalf of the 16th Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) together with the Secretary General of COSAS- cde Tebogo Magafane, COSAS national spokesperson Cde Douglas Ngobeni, 1st Deputy Secretary General Cde Scelo Mandlazi, National Executive Committee (NEC) member Cde Sfiso Dlamini. The progressive leadership had a brief engagement with the panel sent by the PEIC before any leaner was questioned/ interviewed. We concluded with the committee that the investigation is not only unnecessary, time consuming and unfair but very traumatic to both learners and parents of the allegedly accused learners. Should there be a need to question learners in relation to the leaked papers, they should question every leaner that sat for the 2020 national senior examination as they don't have evidence that the selected alleged learners are linked anyhow to the leaked question papers.

The Department of Education continues to undermine a black child especially the ones from rural areas and public schools. It is with no doubt that no learner from private schools has been questioned in relation to the leaked question papers.

We therefore demand the following from the department: -

- Apologize unreservedly to learners for having put them in a tempting and tight position, of having to deal with being treated as criminals in an already challenging year, the year of the pandemic.
- No learner's matric results should be withheld as per the relations of the leaked national senior certificate question papers.
- No learner should be suspended because of allegedly being linked with the question papers.

The department of education must not test us otherwise we will do to them what the youth of 1976 did to the apartheid government.

On re-opening of Schools

The Congress of South African Students has reached a consensus with the Department of Basic Education that the reopening of schools should be delayed by two weeks due to the COVID19 second wave.

Issued by: COSAS MPUMALANGA

Provincial secretary
Brilliant Mncina
0660755797
[email protected]

Provincial chairperson
Siphesihle Gumbi
062848 3171
[email protected]