The Department of Education says individual hearings will commence on the 24th of this month with learners who were involved in mass cheating in the Eastern Cape and Kwazulu Natal during last year's matric exams.
Department spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga, says this will allow for the evidence with regard to each subject, to be presented to the individual learner, and for that learner to respond to the charge of copying.
He says learners will be allowed legal representation.
Mhlanga says letters are being prepared inviting the learners to the hearings which will be conducted by the Provincial Education Department.
He says in terms of the Regulations pertaining to the Conduct, Administration and Management of the matric exams, all candidates who are under investigation, must be allowed to register and write the supplementary examination, pending the outcome of the investigation.
"This is to ensure that those who are found not guilty are able to get their results and those who are found guilty then the neccessary punishment will have to be imposed. Because of the situation the minister has had to use her discretion to create a situation where all the learners who are currently under investigation are allowed to seat for the supplementary examination which begin on the 16th of February until the 24th of March." says Mhlanga.
