The National Qualifications Amendment Bill has recently been passed, and if president Cyril Ramaphosa accepts it, it means that candidates who misrepresent their qualifications on their CV can get jail time.
This bill aims to ensure that people are adequately qualified for the positions they apply for.
Lying on a CV is seen as fraud and candidates can be fined or get up to five year’s jail time.
Joe Samuels, CEO of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) had said in an interview on ENCA that CV fraud is a serious matter and should not be taken lightly.
He further said that higher education institutions must be registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and have the appropriate accreditation to provide said qualifications. The institutions are liable to face prosecution if they are not sufficiently accredited.
Samuels said that for the qualification to be official, it must be:
- An authentic qualification that is registered on the NQF managed by SAQA
- The education provider must be accredited
- Lawfully awarded to the individual
See the extract from the bill below that relates to the section above.
Copied from bill amendment:
(a) by the insertion before the definition of ‘‘board’’ of the following definition: ‘‘ ‘authenticity’—
(a) in relation to a qualification or part-qualification, includes a qualification or part-qualification that is— (i) registered on the NQF; (ii) offered by a registered and accredited education institution or skills development provider in terms of this Act or any other applicable law; and (iii) legally obtained; and (b) in relation to a foreign qualification, means a qualification or part-qualification that is obtained from a foreign country and is evaluated by the SAQA in terms of this Act,
