Report on the National Senior Certificate Examination Results 2010.

REPORT ON THE NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION RESULTS • 2010
examination. The application of these norms and standards will be monitored on a continuous basis across
the PEds .
Question papers were handed over to PEDs, for printing, in monthly consignments from 30 July to 30 August
2010 and the braille question papers were handed to PEDs in September 2010.
Most PEDs commenced with the printing of question papers in August 2010, and were completed by mid
October 2010. The packing of question papers across all PEDs commenced in mid September 2009. This is
an area that PEds have improved on over the years, but there is still the risk of errors that creep in during this
process. PEDs have put in additional measures, such as a bar-coding system which prints a unique barcode
on each question paper . this is a special security feature, which allows for tracking of the question paper to
the schools. The DBE will continue to focus on this aspect of the examination process so as to eradicate all
packing errors .
The DBE monitored the printing of question papers across all PEDs, and the DBE is satisfied with the security
arrangements . the printing, packing and distribution of question papers for the mpumalanga department
of Education, were managed by the DBE. Government Printing Works (GPW) was appointed to print, pack
and distribute the question papers under the constant supervision of DBE officials. To avoid storage of
question papers for long periods at the regional offices, printing packing and distribution of question papers for
Mpumalanga was done in weekly consignments commencing from 20 October to 24 November 2010.
2.5 Security
Security is one of the key features in the high stakes national examination processes. Minor breaches in
security can lead to question papers being compromised and this can have a negative impact on the integrity
and credibility of the entire examination. Through the State of Readiness visits to the provinces, the DBE
established that the security in all PEds is in compliance with the prescribed norms and Standards. High
security measures were identified in the PEDs, particularly during the printing, packaging and storing sections.
Most of the provinces have installed security cameras in areas that did not have them previously. For example,
in Mpumalanga, in all the regional offices, secure areas were established with foolproof strong rooms, for the
storage of question papers, KwaZulu-Natal has introduced a biometric system in areas where the question
papers are printed and stored, however as it is the case in all the nine provinces, the high security systems in
the provincial offices must be extended to include the enhancement of security in the nodal, districts and circuit
offices. It is encouraging that PEDs continue to upgrade their security measures with the latest technology
that is available . PEds are also constantly addressing the human factor in the security process, by inculcating
a culture of security at these venues . PEds have also embarked on a security clearance process for all staff
engaged in examinations.
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