2017-08-31Staff Report 2 Nuusita Ashipala Oshakati The Namibian Qualifications Authority (NQA) is concerned about the prevalence of fraudulent qualifications, saying many Namibians are in possession of fake qualifications. NQA marketing and communications manager, Catherine Shipushu, said the qualification authority was equally challenged with people enrolling with bogus, unaccredited institutions, hence obtaining unrecognised qualifications. Although there are no readily available statistics, Shipushu said there were about 200 cases of suspected academic fraud registered by the end of 2014. Shipushu was speaking at an NQA information sharing session on Tuesday at the Ongwediva Annual Trade Fair. In the same vein, the qualifications authority advised people against enrolling at foreign institutions that are randomly advertised on social and other media. Instead, Shipushu advised people to ensure that the qualifications they wish to pursue are comparable with courses offered in the country. She further appealed to prospective students seeking to register courses in foreign countries to consult with the various regulating societies in the country to validate the requirements before taking up the courses on offer. Shipushu was responding to public questions on Namibians with points as low as 11 studying for very lucrative qualifications, including medicine, at foreign universities. “Whether you access your university with 11 points or 30 points, when you come back to Namibia you need to meet the set requirements for that position,” said Shipushu. Shipushu appealed to unaccredited training providers to do the right thing by seeking accreditation for the benefit of the students who invest their time and money. Further, she stated the current law does not mandate the qualification authority to close down institutions physically. “These institutions can only operate if people continue to enrol, that is why we advise against going to these institutions because once they stop the institutions will close,” said Shipushu. The Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Innovation is working towards amending the relevant Act to empower NQA to close down unaccredited institutions, thereby making accreditation compulsory. 2017-08-31Staff Report 2
