Unisa confirmed that it is investigating just over 1,450 students for dishonesty and plagiarism.

The university said it has set itself a target of addressing 75 of these per week.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, the university’s acting vice principal of institutional development, Ramogoai Magano, assured the public these investigations and disciplinary processes were being conducted in accordance with Unisa’s stringent policies regarding academic integrity.

“It must be emphasised that students who are under investigations and/or undergoing disciplinary hearings are allowed to register in the intervening period to ensure that, should they be found not guilty, they are disadvantaged about their studies and academic progress,” Magano said.

The university furthermore said it felt the need to address the issue because this had become a public issue, considering that this was not the first time accusations of a cheating scandal had surfaced.

Despite the allegations of students cheating, Unisa said it will not conduct in-person examinations.

Magano said the formal hearings set to resolve the pending cases have begun.

“All cases pertaining to non-adherence to the Invigilator App have been concluded. Based on the conclusion of the investigations that the contraventions were minor, the students were given warning letters.”

On its website, the university has made it very clear that it has zero tolerance for any form of dishonesty or cheating activity related to assessments and exams.

“We wish to remind all students that Unisa has zero tolerance for any form of assessment and examination dishonesty or cheating.”

It furthermore said any student who is found to have participated in any fraudulent or dishonest activity related to assessments or exams will be referred to the Student Disciplinary Unit for investigation and disciplinary action.

“If found guilty, they will have their modules cancelled and their marks withdrawn.”