Time to name and shame academic frauds

Once we all return from our festive season break, there could be a slim chance that government may welcome in the New Year by naming and shaming those government and parastatal members who have claimed academic qualifications they didn’t have. ANC stalwart Pallo Jordan; the SABC chair Ellen Tshabalala; SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng; former Sanral board chair, Tembakazi Mnyaka; former ANC spokesman Carl Niehaus – the list is endless. But higher education minister, Blade Nzimande, was quoted as far back as September saying that government was to set up a registry of names of people who lie about their academic qualifications. Falsifying educational qualifications, he added, is a habit that “needs to be rooted out” – something he felt would “help restore the credibility of academic qualifications”. The story is that a database of culprits could be in place by January.