1. Introduction

Proper management of examinations at an educational institution is a vital aspect of the examination system. In terms of national and provincial policies as well as Regulations for the Conducting, Administration and Management of Assessment for the National Senior Certificate, school principals are accountable for all examination processes at their schools.

While it is not expected that the writing of examinations for either ABET Level 4 or the National Senior Certificate will be disrupted in 2010, it is essential that a comprehensive risk management plan be developed by each institution to deal with potential disruption to the effective management and conduct of these examinations.

2. Contingency plan to deal with emergencies
2.1 As types of emergencies 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
2.3 In the event of an evacuation, the circuit team manager or director of your education district must be notified immediately. The circuit team manager or another designated official at the district will endeavour to visit the school immediately in order to verify the procedures followed by the school. The designated official from the education district office must monitor the situation closely from the time that he or she arrives at the school.
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 being made, such as the re-scheduling of the examination for a later date.
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.
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 be written after 3 December 2010.

3. Risk management
3.1 Principals must use the accompanying checklist to assist them in identifying potential risks to the effective conduct of the examinations and to develop their risk management plan accordingly.
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:

Mrs Z Modimakwane @ 021 467 2057 / 071 683 6286
Mr AP Clausen @ 021 467 2945 / 082 773 9980
Ms T Singh @ 021 467 2541 / 084 312 8333
Mr BK Schreuder @ 021 467 2518 / 082 373 5989

4. The WCED wishes you well for the upcoming examination period.


SIGNED: BK SCHREUDER
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2010:09:13

Risk management checklist for the National Senior Certificate and ABET Level 4 examinations  (size: 37 KB)