HIGHER EDUCATION NEWS

Degrees-for-sale scam

15 JUL 2016 | SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT |  PDF    BY: MZILIKAZI WA AFRIKA

Senior government officials, as well as an SRC president, are under investigation after allegedly buying academic degrees from the University of Zululand.

© Matthew Benoit – 123RF.com

The university was first exposed in 1997 for selling degrees. This week, a former student, who now works at the institution, wrote to the public protector, revealing the latest scandal.

An investigating officer assigned to investigate the altering of marks by students eight years ago has been suspended along with an examination officer, pending a full investigation by the university.

The investigating officer was fingered in the letter to the public protector as the alleged kingpin who had had access to the university network since the 2008 investigation.

The investigating officer was allegedly charging R5000 per module and the money was being deposited into his daughter's bank account.

Sources at the university claim the official has close ties with KwaZulu-Natal political leaders, and allege that he sold fake degrees to senior employees at a local municipalities.

The investigating officer is accused of altering marks and adding outstanding modules to students' records, enabling them to graduate without actually completing all the required modules.

An SRC president is one of the people named in the letter to the public protector as having allegedly bought academic qualifications.

An LLB graduate at a local municipality, a public relations diploma graduate teaching at a school in Gauteng and a practising attorney in the province are also among those alleged to have bought qualifications.

Public protector spokesman Oupa Segalwe confirmed receipt of the complaint.

Neil Garrod, deputy vice-chancellor of institutional support, confirmed the university had suspended two officials. He said "irregular activities" had been found in a university probe.

The university is the alma mater of some of the country's top brass, including State Security Minister David Mahlobo. In 2009 SAA board chairman Dudu Myeni came under fire for claiming to have a BA degree from the university. She later clarified that she was studying towards the degree.

SA Qualifications Authority CEO Joe Samuels said that if these allegations were true, it was all the more reason for employers to verify qualifications of prospective and current employees against the SAQA database.

Source: The Times via I-Net Bridge