‘Umalusi does not accredit online schools,’ says quality assurance body on UNISA Open School

Education quality assurance body, Umalusi, on Thursday responded to the University of South Africa’s (Unisa) announcement of the launch of its online secondary school, Unisa Open School (UOS).

Unisa is inviting potential students to apply for admitted for the 2025 academic year.

According to the University, the UOS is registered with the South African Comprehensive Assessment Institute (SACAI) which is accredited by Umalusi.

However, Umalusi on Thursday released a statement saying it does not accredit online schools.

“As explained before, Umalusi does not accredit online schools. Umalusi 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,” said Umalusi in a statement.

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The body said it is aware of online schools claiming to be registered with an accredited assessment body.

Umalusi urges the public to verify the accreditation status of any independent school or private college by visiting the website.

Umalusi accreditations

Lepota said the public is advised to take note of the following:

• Umalusi does not accredit online schools.
• Currently, online schools are also not registered with provincial education departments. They are, therefore, operating in an unregulated environment.
• 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 National Senior Certificates (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.

Unisa Open School

UOS will offer Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) subjects for Grades 10 and 11.

Unisa said this is to give educational opportunities to learners and adults unable to attend traditional schools.

“Our primary objective is to provide focused, rigorous, and comprehensive learning experiences that prepare and equip learners for adulthood,” said the Interim Head of UOS Professor Jabu Mkhize

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