2 employees under suspicion in SEA leak; police investigating

File: Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh

Tim Gopeesingh told reporters Thursday the Ministry of Education has suspicions about "one or two" employees in connection with the leak of the results of the Secondary Entrance Assessment Examination (SEA) results.

The Minister of Education said police have been called in to investigate the leak.
"The Ministry of Education did some internal investigations and we found that one or two people inside...we had some difficulty with them," he said.

Gopeesingh said Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs was told about the matter and he has indicated "that a team is being set up with the Ministry of Education".

Gopeesingh added, "Investigations are ongoing now so it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on the matter, except to say that they are looking within the ministry and outside the ministry as well, at this criminal conduct in terms of a cybercrime."

Gopeesingh suggested that there could be a political motive behind the leak, noting that it is unacceptable for anyone "to bring about destabilisation, chaos and confusion in the lives of our children, parents and the wider society by interfering with the education system and trying to be dirty."

He said the leak created confusion in the minds of pupils, teachers, parents and families. He added that a similar situation occurred recently with someone tried to tamper with the papers for CXC. 

Gopeesingh explained that politicians had no influence over the exams or the results, adding that the system is recognised all over the world for its standards, fairness, and transparency and had stood the test of time.