19 Oct 2023

Investigations into the 2023 Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) examinations malpractice have established that 19 components from the seven syllabi have been leaked.

The Minister of Education and Skills Development Dr Douglas Letsholathebe said the misconduct involved one chief invigilator from one private examination centre, five tutors belonging to the northern region and 10 candidates.

The minister  was briefing the media on the latest development concerning the examination malpractice in Gaborone, on Thursday.

He said the seven syllabi included Science Double Award (0569); Mathematics (0563); Commerce (0598); Social Studies (0585); Setswana (0562); Geography (0584) and English (0561).

The leaked examination components he said were,  Science Double Awards Paper 1, 3 and 4, Commerce Paper 1,2 and 3, Social Studies Paper 1,2 and 3, Setswana Paper 1,2 and 3, Geography Paper 1, 2, and 3, Mathematics Paper 1 and 2 as well as English Paper 1 and 2.

He said investigations were still ongoing to detect if proper handling and safeguarding criteria of the examination papers were followed.

Dr Letsholathebe confirmed that the papers moved from the chief invigilator to the hands of the five tutors who then passed them on to the 10 candidates.

The minister said all perpetrators were yet to appear in court, and if found guilty they would be charged with Section 25 of the Botswana Examination Council Amendment Act of 2019.

He said this involved a fine of P200 000 to P500 000 or 10 years imprisonment or both.

Meanwhile, Botswana Examination Council (BEC) Chief Executive Officer Dr Moreetsi Thobega said his organization was already underway with preparing alternative papers ahead of examination recommencement beyond October 30.

Dr Thobega said they were also engaged with coming up with a new examination timetable for appreciation by both students and parents.

He said papers that were not affected would be scheduled first on the timetable, while candidates would write alternative examination papers last.

Dr Thobega said BEC was working around the clock to provide candidates with the new timetable that would be shared with all by next week.

He acknowledged that the marking component of the examinations would take longer than expected, however, he said they commit to finishing the marking by December with an exception put forward for alternative papers.

He anticipated that the delay would likely be end the first week of January 2024. ENDS