In an effort to combat the illegal trade of forged matric certificates in South Africa, Umalusi, under the leadership of CEO Dr. Mafu Rakometsi, has launched a campaign resulting in the arrest of 11 individuals. The campaign was a joint venture with the South African Police Service and ongoing efforts will be made to ensure legal consequences for those involved in fraudulent activities. Concerns were also raised about irregularities in the national matric examination, including cases of group copying and misprints on question papers.
Tackling The Fraudulent Matric Certificate Trade in South Africa
Under the guidance of CEO Dr. Mafu Rakometsi, the Quality Assurance body of South Africa has launched a substantial campaign against the illegal commerce of forged matric certificates. The offensive intensified in October, leading to the arrest of 11 individuals associated with this deceptive operation.
An Extensive Crackdown
Under the guidance of CEO Dr. Mafu Rakometsi, the Quality Assurance body of South Africa has launched a substantial campaign against the illegal commerce of forged matric certificates. The offensive intensified in October, leading to the arrest of 11 individuals associated with this deceptive operation. This revelation was disclosed in a press conference regarding the outcomes of the 2023 national matric examinations executed under both public and private evaluation bodies.
The campaign was a joint venture between Umalusi and the South African Police Service (SAPS). This partnership was initiated after Umalusi’s Media Briefing on State of Readiness. Dr. Rakometsi unveiled specifics of the operation, mentioning that arrests were executed in successive phases across various locations. The initial crackdown took place in Burgersfort, Limpopo, where two individuals were apprehended on October 27th. More arrests followed in Pretoria and Burgersfort, culminating in a total of five arrests on December 13th, 2023.
Unexpected Development and Legal Action
Interestingly, a twist in the tale saw an official from the Department of Higher Education and Training being nabbed by the Hawks, a prestigious police unit. This official faced accusations of granting a diploma certificate in exchange for monetary benefits. Corruption charges have been lodged against the official, and the court hearing is slated for January 19th. Umalusi, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, is poised to ensure that those involved in these fraudulent activities face stringent legal consequences.
Dr. Rakometsi remained steadfast in his declaration that Umalusi is dedicated to the distribution of legitimate certificates to deserving candidates. He accentuated the role of employers in both public and private domains in addressing this problem. He urged them to authenticate the qualifications of prospective and incumbent employees by using verification agencies mentioned on Umalusi’s online platform.
Examination Results and Concerning Elements
During the same media briefing, Dr. Rakometsi shed light on the performance in the 2023 national matric examination. Despite a few critical apprehensions, the results were sanctioned for publication. An excess of one million candidates participated in these exams under the aegis of IEB and DBE. The results are due to be announced later this week.
Dr. Rakometsi marked out several areas requiring attention. The chief concern was the trend of candidates registering for exams at unauthorized private centres. Substandard print quality and misprints on some question papers were another source of worry. Significant marks were forfeited due to printing blunders on Civil Technology specialization papers in Limpopo, and additional mistakes in Physical Sciences and science papers in North West. Cultural and political inaccuracies were identified in the Mathematical Literacy and Mandarin papers.
Pending Irregularities and Future Challenges
Umalusi expressed grave concern about lingering irregularities from previous examination cycles, particularly among private colleges offering the GETC: ABET examinations. Disturbingly, there were 945 reported instances of group copying, with a substantial 80.7% of cases emerging from KwaZulu-Natal and 17.7% from Mpumalanga. These cases are still under review pending verification.
The recent actions against the illicit trade of matric certificates and the concerns raised about the matric examinations underscore Umalusi’s dedication to preserving South Africa’s high academic standards. While these are considerable steps towards guaranteeing the integrity of the education system, it’s clear that the journey ahead is riddled with challenges.
What is Umalusi and what is their role in the education system in South Africa?
Umalusi is the Quality Assurance body of South Africa and is responsible for ensuring that the qualifications earned by South African students are of an acceptable standard. They are tasked with quality assurance of qualifications at different levels of the national qualifications framework (NQF) which includes General and Further Education and Training, Higher Education and Training, and Trade and Occupational Qualifications.
What is the fraudulent matric certificate trade in South Africa?
The fraudulent matric certificate trade in South Africa refers to the illegal selling of fake or forged matric certificates to individuals who did not actually pass the matriculation examination. This illegal trade has been a growing concern in recent years.
What has Umalusi done to tackle the fraudulent matric certificate trade in South Africa?
Under the leadership of CEO Dr. Mafu Rakometsi, Umalusi has launched a substantial campaign against the illegal commerce of forged matric certificates. The campaign was a joint venture between Umalusi and the South African Police Service (SAPS) resulting in the arrest of 11 individuals. Ongoing efforts will be made to ensure legal consequences for those involved in fraudulent activities.
What concerns were raised about irregularities in the national matric examination?
During the same media briefing, Dr. Rakometsi shed light on the performance in the 2023 national matric examination. Despite a few critical apprehensions, the results were sanctioned for publication. Concerns were raised about irregularities such as unauthorized private centres, substandard print quality, misprints on some question papers, and cultural and political inaccuracies in some papers.
What is the role of employers in addressing the fraudulent matric certificate trade in South Africa?
Dr. Rakometsi urged employers in both public and private domains to authenticate the qualifications of prospective and incumbent employees by using verification agencies mentioned on Umalusi’s online platform. This is an essential step towards addressing the fraudulent matric certificate trade.
What challenges are ahead in preserving South Africa’s high academic standards?
While the recent actions against the illicit trade of matric certificates and the concerns raised about the matric examinations are considerable steps towards guaranteeing the integrity of the education system, the journey ahead is riddled with challenges. Lingering irregularities from previous examination cycles, particularly among private colleges offering the GETC: ABET examinations, and the ongoing threat of the fraudulent matric certificate trade are some of the challenges that need to be tackled.
