Education ministry blames SOP breach for exam paper theft

The Minister for Education, Aseri Radrodro, has confirmed that his office is aware of a break-in at a secondary school in Sigatoka, which resulted in the compromise of four Fiji Year 12 Certificate Examination (FY12CE) papers.

The subjects include Chemistry, Computer Studies, Technical Drawing, and Vosa Vakaviti.

In a statement, Mr Radrodro said the Fiji Police Force was immediately notified, and investigations are underway to identify those involved and determine the extent of the breach.

Preliminary findings by the Nadroga/Navosa Education Office and Sigatoka Police indicate that the Head of School breached several standard operating procedures outlined in the Policy on External Examinations and Assessment – 2017, specifically Sections 6.4.1.9.2(c) and 6.4.12.9.3.

It was revealed that the Head of School insisted on storing the national examination papers in his office instead of the District Education Office. Furthermore, upon discovering the break-in yesterday morning, he failed to report the incident immediately to the Nadroga/Navosa Education Office.

An emergency meeting was convened by the acting permanent secretary for Education with senior staff to formulate a response plan. The ministry has since prepared supplementary examination papers for the compromised subjects to ensure the integrity of the exams.

Mr Radrodro assured all Year 12 students that the FY12CE will proceed as scheduled, with no changes to the examination timetable. He added that the Examinations and Assessment Unit (EAU) is conducting a comprehensive review of storage and security protocols across all schools to prevent similar incidents.

Heads of schools must strictly adhere to the Policy on External Examinations and Assessment to avoid a repeat of such breaches, Mr Radrodro said.

The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the integrity of Fiji’s national examination system and ensuring that all students sit their exams under fair, secure, and transparent conditions.