Admissions scam rocks DUT
DUT's Prof Ahmed Bawa said a charge of fraud will be laid against a staff member accused of adjusting students' marks.
AN alleged admissions scam at Durban University of Technology (DUT) where students' marks were adjusted to allow them to qualify to study at the institution, has been exposed.
Prof Ahmed Bawa, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of DUT, said the university was aware of the allegation that a member of its staff had reportedly committed the fraud. He said the university would be laying formal charges of fraud internally and externally with the South African Police Service against the staff member.
Bawa said the university became aware of the matter after a staff member within the Faculty of Accounting and Informatics discovered that credits were added to the academic record of a student. The whistle-blower then alerted the Executive Dean of the Faculty.
“Following an internal investigation, a number of anomalies – all related to the accused – emerged. These have since been corrected. The accused was then approached, her access to the academic records system was immediately suspended and steps were taken to formally suspend her. Although she resigned following her suspension, DUT has not accepted her resignation,” said Bawa.
According to reports, the woman had allegedly been tampering with results for 13 years, charging students per subject to inflate their marks which were then captured on the internal system when they applied.
“The University will take the strongest action possible against such fraudulent activities,” said Bawa.
