THE Department of Education and Umalusi council for quality assurance in further education have again refused to explain how they adjusted the 2010 matric results

Top officials from both bodies made presentations yesterday to Parliament's Basic Education portfolio committee over the results.

They were quizzed by members of opposition parties about "standardisation" of the matric results.

An outcry erupted last week after an Umalusi standardisation committee member, Professor John Aitchison, broke ranks with his colleagues to complain that Umalusi was hiding information from the public.

This after Umalusi refused to say which subjects marks were adjusted, and which had their marks left as they were.

Teachers at the more elite schools then claimed that their top pupils had been robbed of As in some subjects, because Umalusi had lowered their marks.

At yesterday's meeting in Parliament, United Democratic Movement MP Ntopile Kganyago also hit out at the practice.

"A child may have passed, but now has failed. I am not very comfortable with that," he said.

Umalusi chairperson Sizwe Mabizela again declined to reveal exactly which subjects had been adjusted or standardised.

He said this was "sensitive information". He added standardisation happened all over the world. Sometimes, quality assurers only found out after pupils had written exams that the paper was too easy or difficult.

Mabizela said no marks had been increased or lowered by more than 10percent this year.

But ANC MP Zondi Makhubele told Mabizela that pupils must not be punished because officials make mistakes and set easy exam papers.