By Ragheema Mclean
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has denounced a fake video circulating on social media that falsely claims a matric learner at “Golden Gates High School” was caught cheating during their National Senior Certificate (NSC) exam.
The video, posted by a TikTok parody account, claimed the learner used artificial intelligence (AI) to answer an English exam question—ironically about AI itself.
The video was posted just hours after matric learners had completed their English paper three, in which AI was a discussion topic. Although subsequent videos clarified the initial post as a parody, the WCED has voiced concerns about the damage already caused by the misinformation.
MEC for Education David Maynier stated, “No school of this name exists in the Western Cape, and the video is entirely fake.”
Maynier stressed the harmful impact of such fake news, particularly on matric candidates.
“Deliberate fake news of this kind is extremely damaging, as it falsely creates doubt in the integrity of the exam process and adds to the anxiety of our matrics at a time when they need to focus on their exams.”
The MEC appealed to the public to avoid sharing misinformation about the exams, noting the strain it places on officials and the unnecessary panic it causes among learners and parents.
“It wastes officials’ time when they need to be focused on the important task of administering the exams, and it causes unnecessary panic amongst learners and parents.”
VOC News
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