With the 2022 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams not yet at the half-way mark, the Western Cape Department of Education says it has already received 14 reports of Matric candidates allegedly bringing cell phones or crib notes into their exam venues.

MEC David Maynier says this clearly demonstrates that the monitoring processes are working, and that invigilators are well-trained to keep a close eye on the conduct of candidates during the exam.

Each reported incident will be thoroughly investigated, and the candidate in question is given the opportunity to make representations to a hearing following the exam session.

The candidate will also have the opportunity to appeal the finding from the hearing.

He says candidates cannot claim to be unaware of the rules.

“They were required to sign a Commitment Agreement before the beginning of the exam session which outlined the rules of the exams, and the consequences of being caught.

It is imperative that candidates carefully check their pockets for notes or cell phones before they sit down to write, as “forgetting” that they were carrying these items is unfortunately not an excuse.

The candidate risks being disqualified if found guilty, and potentially barred from up to three future exam sessions.”

He says cheating is simply not worth it.

“While we have not had any reported incidents of paper leaks to date, we remind learners that they must report any information they receive about suspected leaks. This was also covered in the Commitment Agreement.

It is important to stress that being involved in exam leaks can have consequences for other learners who did not cheat, too, as they might have to rewrite the paper through no fault of their own.”

Maynier has appealed to candidated to help ensure that everyone has a fair chance in these exams, and not do anything to compromise the integrity of the exams.