Unam scam: aggrieved Angolans say ‘not us’

ABOUT 30 Angolans, among 174 students expelled from the University of Namibia (Unam) at the end of last year over a certificate scam, have demanded that the investigation be re-opened.

The group claims they were unfairly dismissed and that Unam did not produce any evidence against them. “Police investigators came up with 52 names of students who were involved in that scam.We were not on that list but Unam just targeted all of us because we are Angolans,” charged a spokesperson for the group, who wished to remain anonymous.The University said its decision to de-register the 174 students was based on an extensive internal audit, by the Office of the Registrar, of its admission process.The aggrieved students told The Namibian they were not aware of their expulsion until early this month when they returned from holiday in their country, “only to find letters in our mail saying that we had been de-registered”.The letter from the Office of the Registrar stated: “The executive committee of the Senate has requested that your studies at Unam be cancelled with immediate effect and all courses passed at Unam declared null and void and of no academic value for future admission to this or any other university”.But the students are adamant that their Grade 12 qualifications are “genuine”.They want the investigation to be re-opened so that experts from the Angolan Education Ministry can be brought in to verify their results.Unam Director of Communication and Marketing, Edwin Tjiramba, said the institution was willing to open the individual files of expelled students and to explain the action taken against every individual.”We don’t want a group approach because some elements will try to hide behind the group,” Tjiramba said.A total of 165 Angolans and nine Namibians students were de-registered on December 17.Unam said they had false Grade 12 qualifications.Unam and the Police launched an investigation after The Namibian disclosed in August how a large number of Angolan students had been using fake Grade 12 qualifications to study at the institution for several years.Available information at the time pointed to the existence of a syndicate that allegedly sold fake Angolan “matric” certificates with inflated pass marks so that students could gain access to the university.The culprits apparently presented certified copies of Angolan certificates or declarations issued in lieu of lost certificates purported to have been issued by the Angolan Ministry of Education.The original documents were in Portuguese, but were translated into English and certified as true copies by the Angolan Embassy in Windhoek.So far one person, believed to be one of the masterminds behind the scam, has been arrested and charged with the crime.Meanwhile, Unam has announced stricter measures for the admission of students.All prospective students whose medium of instruction at secondary education level was not English will now be required to enrol for and pass a special course in English at an advanced level; foreigners who completed their Grade 12 through non-Namibian examination systems will only be admitted on presenting an original certificate issued by the relevant authority.”Police investigators came up with 52 names of students who were involved in that scam. We were not on that list but Unam just targeted all of us because we are Angolans,” charged a spokesperson for the group, who wished to remain anonymous. The University said its decision to de-register the 174 students was based on an extensive internal audit, by the Office of the Registrar, of its admission process. The aggrieved students told The Namibian they were not aware of their expulsion until early this month when they returned from holiday in their country, “only to find letters in our mail saying that we had been de-registered”. The letter from the Office of the Registrar stated: “The executive committee of the Senate has requested that your studies at Unam be cancelled with immediate effect and all courses passed at Unam declared null and void and of no academic value for future admission to this or any other university”. But the students are adamant that their Grade 12 qualifications are “genuine”. They want the investigation to be re-opened so that experts from the Angolan Education Ministry can be brought in to verify their results. Unam Director of Communication and Marketing, Edwin Tjiramba, said the institution was willing to open the individual files of expelled students and to explain the action taken against every individual. “We don’t want a group approach because some elements will try to hide behind the group,” Tjiramba said. A total of 165 Angolans and nine Namibians students were de-registered on December 17. Unam said they had false Grade 12 qualifications. Unam and the Police launched an investigation after The Namibian disclosed in August how a large number of Angolan students had been using fake Grade 12 qualifications to study at the institution for several years. Available information at the time pointed to the existence of a syndicate that allegedly sold fake Angolan “matric” certificates with inflated pass marks so that students could gain access to the university. The culprits apparently presented certified copies of Angolan certificates or declarations issued in lieu of lost certificates purported to have been issued by the Angolan Ministry of Education. The original documents were in Portuguese, but were translated into English and certified as true copies by the Angolan Embassy in Windhoek. So far one person, believed to be one of the masterminds behind the scam, has been arrested and charged with the crime. Meanwhile, Unam has announced stricter measures for the admission of students. All prospective students whose medium of instruction at secondary education level was not English will now be required to enrol for and pass a special course in English at an advanced level; foreigners who completed their Grade 12 through non-Namibian examination systems will only be admitted on presenting an original certificate issued by the relevant authority.