The Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training (Umalusi) has given the 2023 matric examinations the thumbs up, saying there were no paper leakages and major disruptions that could have impacted the credibility of the results.
However, Dr Mafu Rakometsi, CEO of Umalusi, highlighted some concerns at a media briefing on Monday, among them certificate fraud, printing errors and poor translation quality in some exam papers.
In addition, Rakometsi said they were concerned about group copying that was detected that involved 945 national senior certificate candidates.
“These cases are not yet resolved because the numbers are still being verified. Of the total 763 cases, which is 80.7%, were detected in KwaZulu-Natal and 164 cases, which constitute 17.7%, were detected in Mpumalanga,” he said.
Rakometsi revealed that 11 suspects were apprehended by the South African Police Service (SAPS) for their involvement in fraudulent activities related to exam certificates.
Of those arrested, two were arrested in Limpopo on October, one in Pretoria in November and three more in Limpopo in the same month.
All the suspects are expected back in court this month, he added.
“We will continue to work closely with the law enforcement agencies in whatever way possible to ensure that the scammers and fraudsters are made to face the full might of the law. We would like to reassure the members of the public that there are significantly robust safeguards to protect the authenticity and credibility.
“Let me make it crystal clear that Umalusi's mandate is to issue authentic certificates to qualifying candidates. We have no business with fake certificates."
To further safeguard the credibility of qualifications, Umalusi advises employers to verify the qualifications of their employees.
Rakometsi stated, "We advise all employers, both in the public and private sectors, to verify qualifications through designated agencies."
Rakometsi also discussed Umalusi's quality assurance processes, which include monitoring examination centres, verifying the quality of marking, and standardising examination marks. These processes are integral in assuring the quality of national examination results.
Addressing specific challenges, Umalusi identified printing errors and poor translation quality in some exam papers. To mitigate the impact of these errors on candidates' performance, affected questions were excluded from the marking process.
Despite a reduction in reported cases, Umalusi remains concerned about unresolved irregularities, particularly group copying cases detected in various provinces.
"We are seriously concerned about these cases and are working diligently to resolve them," he said.
On a positive note, Rakometsi announced that no paper leakages were detected in the recent examinations, ensuring the integrity and credibility of the exams.
Rakometsi concluded by reaffirming Umalusi's commitment to maintaining high standards in the educational system.
“Umalusi appreciates the efforts of all the four assessment bodies for ensuring that candidates were shielded from all forms of hindrances that gives the assurance that there was no compromise to the 2023 examinations,” Rakometsi said.
Meanwhile, Rakometsi said that the Hawks also arrested an employee of the Department of Higher Education and Training in December, for fraudulently issuing a diploma certificate for cash.
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