Bill proposed to tackle fake qualifications

The Department of Higher Education and Training has proposed naming and shaming fraudsters who claim fake qualifications in an online public register administered by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)‚ in the hope it will deter others from following suit, says a TimesLIVE report. The measures are contained in the draft National Qualifications Framework Amendment Bill‚ currently before Parliament. It aims to expose institutions that offer bogus qualifications and individuals who fake or misrepresent their accomplishments. The Bill contains provisions that compel education institutions and employers to report fraudulent or misrepresented qualifications to SAQA‚ which works closely with the South African Police Service to pursue cases of alleged fraud‚ the department’s Shirley Lloyd told members of Parliament’s Higher Education Committee. There have been a host of recent public scandals over civil servants and top executives with bogus qualifications‚ such as former SABC chair Ellen Tshabalala‚ who claimed to have a BCom and postgraduate degrees from Unisa‚ and rail agency Prasa’s former head of engineering who was not registered as an engineer. Even Cabinet has not been immune: former Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan resigned after he was exposed for misrepresenting himself as ‘Dr’ when in he did not have a PhD.