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Tuesday, 29 October 2013] 48874.2.5 Storage of Question Papers at Schools: The WCED wasworking to ensure a much shorter storage time of questionpapers at schools than in previous years which totaled fivedays. All bags remained sealed until the day of theexamination – with constant monitoring by Districts andHead Office. During the examination period, only theprincipal of the school managed the safe. School principalswere aware of the consequences in terms of any breaches.All school principals and invigilators were trained annually onsecurity aspects to be observed.4.2.6 Delivery of Question Papers (Pilot): The WCEDinvestigated a new and more secure packaging systemthrough the use of special containers with a programmablelock to be approved for future use. The special containerswould only be opened one hour before the start of anexamination. Only one unique code for an examinationsession would be used. The code would be provided to theprincipal, district directors and examination coordinators viaa Short-Message-System (SMS) on a daily basis. A pilotwould be run with one or two subjects to be written inNovember 2013.4.2.7 Use of Dedicated Courier Services: The WCED made useof a dedicated delivery service to 343 examination centresby seasoned dedicated drivers. All couriers were fitted with atracking system. The WCED would monitor all deliveries viaa computerised system. The courier service provided apersonalised service to schools with electronic dailycommunication with examination officials. The Head Officemonitored the premises while district officials monitored thedelivery for each consignment.4.2.8 Appointment of Markers: Marking would commence on 4December 2013. The WCED introduced the competencybased assessment for teachers who wished to mark (10subjects). The competency test had shown that marking hadimproved and that there was a reduction in the number ofremark applications.4.2.9 Marking: The WCED would have one central markingcentre for the marking of the 2013 NSC examinations. Themarking period was 4 – 13 December 2013 with specialarrangements for subjects with a shortage of markers. Thenumber of appointed marking official were as follows:ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS NO 147─2013