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Fake qualification holders dismissed - admin - 18-10-2010
Durban - The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has dismissed 53 employees for submitting fake educational qualifications.
The employees were found guilty on charges of misconduct after the department carried out an internal control and risk management exercise earlier this year.
“This is part of a continuous and sustained campaign to identify individuals who have submitted fraudulent qualifications.
“This has dire consequences for the department, considering that some officials were holders of critical posts within the system,†said Cassius Lubisi, the KZN Education Department Superintendent-General.
He said the actions of the dismissed employees had cost the department a substantial financial loss, with an estimated R14 million lost for the period March 2004 to August 2009.
“The department will recover all monies and/or overpayments from the individuals concerned.
“A criminal investigation has been instituted with the assistance of the SAPS, as this is tantamount to fraud. The department is busy collating and verifying all information submitted by the more than 100 000 employees,†said Lubisi.
He added that the losses suffered by the department in terms of monetary value were immeasurable compared to how the education of hundreds of children had been compromised.
“These individuals did not only defraud the department… but they robbed children of the right to access quality education. They gambled with the future of many children, the majority of which hail from the most disadvantaged rural areas. For many of these children and their parents, earning a good education gives them hope for a better and brighter future,†said Lubisi.
In 2006, the department opened a window of opportunity for all those who had submitted bogus qualifications to come forward in exchange for reprieve. Those who did not do so are now facing the consequences. - BuaNews