Two inmates at Tswelopele Correctional Centre in Kimberley are attempting to open criminal charges against the correctional services head of the examination unit as they were allegedly prevented from sitting for their final exams.
TWO INMATES at Tswelopele Correctional Centre in Kimberley are attempting to open criminal charges against the correctional services head of the examination unit as they were allegedly prevented from sitting for their final exams.
It was reported that the head of prison had promised to assist the two inmates, who are 33 and 32 years old, to open the cases, although they were still waiting for the police to take their statements.
The two offenders have stated that fraudulent affidavits were made on their behalf, claiming that they did not want to write their exams.
It has been alleged that the head of the examination unit felt that the two inmates would not allow the centre to achieve its target of a 100 percent pass rate.
A total of 16 inmates were registered to write the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams while only 14 inmates were allowed to sit for the exams.
Northern Cape Department of Education spokesperson Geoffrey van der Merwe said 14 candidates were registered to write the 2022 NSC exams at the Tswelopele Correctional Centre examination centre.
“The department received applications for the de-registration of two candidates. These applications were accompanied by affidavits from the said individuals in which they requested to be de-registered,” said Van der Merwe. “Based on the mentioned applications, the two individuals were subsequently de-registered, which implies that they could not write the 2022 NSC examination.”
Van der Merwe added that the department relied on designated examination centres to assist and ensure that candidates completed their schooling.
“As the official assessment body, the department does not condone any practices that prevent eligible individuals from writing their examinations.
“We will further assist the mentioned individuals to register for future examinations should they wish to do so. The department remains committed to ensuring that all eligible individuals are afforded the opportunity to use the NSC examination to improve their qualifications.”
The MEC for Education, Zolile Monakali, officially opened three marking centres in Kimberley on December 7 and declared that the 2022 NSC exams were free of any irregularities.
The Department of Correctional Services did not respond to media enquiries.
