● <B>Why was there a need for a fact-finding committee on the errors made by the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate (MES)? </B>

After a pupil disputed his results in French, the MES started to enquire over the results of pupils for Paper I of the French exam. It showed that 234 pupils were in fact penalised by an error when the MES transmitted data to Cambridge. The MES launched an internal enquiry but could not locate the origin of the mistake. This is when the MES director said he had written to the ministry of Education to ask for a fact-finding committee. One month later, he convened a board meeting that recommended its setting-up.

● <B> Why did it take so long? </B>

The ministry of Education had kept on saying that the case had to be tackled at an internal level before being referred to the ministry. This is what the MES did with its board meeting. Two days after the recommendation was made, the issue was discussed by the cabinet that agreed to set up the committee.

● <B> What are the objectives of this committee? </B>

The committee will have to not only see where the error comes from but it is also responsible for taking remedial action and corrective measures to make sure such incidents do not occur again.