| 1. |
Introduction
Proper management of the examinations at an educational institution is a vital aspect of the examination system. Principals, in terms of Circulars 0137/2002 and 0193/2003, are chief examination officers and are therefore accountable for the examination process at their schools.
While it is not expected that the writing of examinations for either ABET Level 4 or the Senior Certificate will be disrupted in 2007, it is essential that a comprehensive risk management plan be developed by each institution to deal with potential disruption to the running of these examinations.
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| 2. |
Contingency to deal with emergencies
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| 2.1 |
As types of emergency vary, the WCED has developed the following procedure aimed at covering situations where there is a need to minimise the effect of an evacuation caused by an emergency. It is essential that all institutions which prepare candidates for these examinations follow the same basic procedure.
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| 2.1.1 |
In the event of an emergency occurring before the candidates commence writing, they must not enter the examination venue(s) before being instructed to do so. They must, however, be isolated from other groups and kept under supervision.
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| 2.1.2 |
If an emergency occurs while candidates are writing and should it prove to be absolutely necessary to evacuate the writing venue, the candidates must be instructed
- to leave all books closed on their desks.
- to evacuate one room at a time, under constant supervision of the invigilator(s) and chief invigilator, and under the overall control of the principal. Additional teachers (not those whose subjects are being written) may be asked to assist in the supervision of the candidates.
- not to talk or communicate with one another in any way.
- not to have any books, papers, etc. with them.
- not to have cellphones with them.
- to sit in silence in a suitable place in the grounds of the institution, spaced apart to prevent any communication.
- to return in silence to the examination room(s) when given permission to do so and to carry on writing where they left off.
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| 2.1.3 |
Candidates must be given the rest of the designated time to complete the examination upon their return to the examination room(s), i.e. the total time allocated to the paper less the time for which they had been writing prior to the evacuation.
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| 2.2 |
The principal, chief invigilator and other invigilators must be in charge of the candidates at all times. Each invigilator must be responsible for his or her own group of candidates.
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| 2.3 |
In the event of an evacuation, the circuit manager or director of your EMDC must be notified at once. The circuit manager or another designated member of the multi-functional team at the EMDC will endeavour to visit the school immediately in order to verify the procedures followed by the school. The designated official from the EMDC must monitor the situation closely from the time that he or she arrives at the school.
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| 2.4 |
Failure to carry out the evacuation according to the set procedures will compromise the validity of an examination and may result in alternative arrangements, such as writing another moderated paper at the end of the examination period or writing the supplementary examination in May/June 2008 (Senior Certificate only).
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| 2.5 |
Principals must inform candidates of the school's contingency plan for evacuation and of the serious consequences if such an evacuation is not carried out properly.
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| 2.6 |
In the unlikely event of a national or provincial examination having to be rewritten, the WCED will inform all principals immediately after the decision has been made. Such a question paper would probably be written within a day or two of the last examination on the timetable, i.e. after the 22 November 2007.
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| 3.1 |
Principals must use the accompanying checklist to assist them in identifying potential risks to the conducting of the examinations and to develop their risk management plan accordingly.
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| 3.2 |
Any disruption in the examination process or opening of the wrong question paper must be immediately reported to one of the following WCED officials:
Irregularity officers:
Mr T Magwaca, tel. 021 467 2626
Mr J Parbhoo, tel. 021 467 2572
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| 4. |
The WCED wishes you well for the upcoming examination period.
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SIGNED: M. CAMERON
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2007:09:11
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