Johannesburg – Rejecting claims by the University of South Africa (UNISA) Online School that it was accredited, Umalusi on Thursday made it clear that it does not accredit online schools.
The UNISA Online School (UOS) website says: “The UOS is registered with the South African Comprehensive Assessment Institute (SACAI).
“Given SACAI’s accreditation with Umalusi, UOS learners who write and pass the National Senior Certificate examination in Grade 12 will be issued National Senior Certificates by Umalusi, and those who meet the relevant requirements will be accepted by tertiary institutions for further studies.”
UOS says during its inaugural year in 2025, it will offer Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) aligned subjects for Grades 10 and 11.
However, in a statement responding to the UOS claims on its website, Umalusi said it does not accredit online schools.
Umalusi said it accredits private providers of education and training to offer qualifications on the General and Further Education and Training Qualifications Sub-framework (GFETQSF) of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).
“These are independent schools, private Further Education and Training (FET) colleges, and private Adult Education and Training (AET) colleges,” Umalusi spokesperson Biki Lepota said.
He said Umalusi was aware of online schools claiming that since they were registered with an accredited assessment body, candidates who write and pass the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination will be issued a National Senior Certificate by Umalusi.
He said the public was advised to take note of that: “Umalusi does not accredit online schools”.
Lepota said online schools were also not registered with provincial education departments.
“They are, therefore, operating in an unregulated environment,” he said.
Umalusi explained in detail that:
- ➢ Registration with an accredited assessment body does not automatically mean that Umalusi has agreed to issue certificates to candidates from an unaccredited institution.
- ➢ Accredited assessment bodies do not accredit institutions to offer qualifications on the GFETQSF. Accreditation is the mandate of Umalusi.
- ➢ Any institution claiming to be offering an accredited qualification because they are registered with an accredited assessment body is misleading the public about their accreditation.
- ➢ Umalusi cannot attest to the quality of provision and assessment, including the School Based Assessment (SBA) component of the NSC, at any institution that is not accredited by Umalusi, including online schools.
- ➢ Registration with an accredited assessment body does not mean that the institution is accredited.
Umalusi urged the public to verify the accreditation status of any independent school or private college by visiting the website: www.umalusi-online.org.za/enquiries.
