Africa-Press – Eswatini. Penuel Malinga, the Secretary General of the People’s United Democratic Movement(PUDEMO) has urged the Examination Council of Eswatini(ECESWA) to take full responsibility of the leaked Form V exams papers and ensure that parents are not forced to pay extra fees.
In a public statement on Friday, the political organization said, it has been following with keen interest the developments at the Examination Council of Eswatini (ECESWA) regarding the form 5 leaked examination papers and the subsequent decision ordering the learners to rewrite them.
“We first note the negligence in handling the papers with confidentiality within the production, storage and distribution chain of ECESWA and we suspect that this might be born of the corruption which characterise Tinkhundla and its entities. The consequence of this negligence does not only affect the credibility of the institution but also the process of the examination and the qualification that is sought to be obtained. To this end, we are calling upon ECESWA to be genuine on her alleged investigation, speed up the process and hold accountable all those who have a hand to the leakage of the papers. We also send a strong call that all the stages of the process must be transparent and no individuals should be protected for such malpractice.
On the decision to rewrite, we note that the costs associated with the rewriting the papers are many to both schools and parents,”‘reads the statement in part.
The political organization further noted that, as a result of the leaked exam papers, parents are expected to yet again pay transport fees, lunch and other related cost for their children to resit the examination and schools on the other are expected to recommit resources.
“This has dire effects to both schools and family budgets. We hold a strong view that the decision that was taken was not a product of thorough stakeholder consultation and it greatly lacks the feeling and interests of parents and learners. We are calling upon ECESWA to consider the following:To take responsibility of the rewriting costs to schools inclusive of paying for invigilators, boarding facilities where applicable and other associated logistics;To assume full responsibility of the negligence and do not charge examination fees to learners for all the papers.To give learners enough time to prepare for the exam before it commences and in between papers.PUDEMO takes this time to remind ECESWA that as an entity that works with stakeholders who have interests in the operations of the entity and who are capable of thinking and providing solutions when there are challenges, it ought to consult them when taking decisions that will affect them. We are also calling upon all parents and learners to follow closely the said investigation process conducted by ECESWA and ensure that a malpractice of such magnitude and costs does not go unpunished,” reads the statement released by PUDEMO.
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