Durban - Lobby group AfriForum Youth, has alleged that some students at the University of South Africa (Unisa), may be cheating in their current exams.

The group sent a letter to the institution’s registrar, Professor MS Mothata, alerting him of the apparent dishonesty taking place.

“We would like to make Unisa aware of a WhatsApp message that has recently come to our attention offering dishonest assistance to students during their examinations in exchange for payment.

It is apparent from the face of the message that dishonest and deceitful methods are being employed by students of Unisa in order to obtain answers to questions from third parties during their examinations, conducted by means of the Moodle proctoring tool,” reads the letter.

The Moodle proctoring tool is for quiz assessments only and captures your picture via webcam and screenshots automatically every 30 seconds, to identify who is attempting to do that specific assessment.

The letter further alleged it was clear that the individuals offering the assistance were not only obtaining proceeds from unlawful activities but were also damaging to Unisa’s academic integrity and veracity.

The phone numbers and details of the “alleged” individuals committing this fraud were attached in the letter sent to Unisa by AfriForum.

In a WhatsApp message seen by the Sunday Tribune, it reads -- “90% PASS GUARANTEED_Exam assistance @600 only. Should you require an excellent guide during the exam, kindly make a payment now, send the proof of payment via WhatsApp and solutions will only be sent via WhatsApp during the exam as you will be writing (in every 20 minutes). If you use the same phone for an invigilator or iris app, I suggest you get another phone to use during the exam period.”

A WhatsApp message sent to Unisa students if they want to guarantee a 90% pass mark. Picture: Supplied.

The lobby group has demanded to know what steps Unisa has taken or will be taking to stop academic dishonesty at the institution.

René van der Vyver, spokesperson for AfriForum Youth, said they were alerted to this after the group was approached by a Unisa student, alerting them about suspicious text messages that Unisa students receive in which direct “exam help” and a guarantee of 90% or higher results, for a payment, are offered.

Van der Vyver, said the group is of the opinion that such actions jeopardise both Unisa’s and the students and the quality of qualifications.

“The university must provide clarity as to whether they are aware of such academic irregularities and whether they have already taken any steps to combat this,” said Van der Vyver.

Unisa has denied the allegations and claimed that the WhatsApp messages were a scam.

Unisa’s Senior Media Officer Tommy Huma said the institution was aware of some “fake messages or scams” circulating on public platforms promising students assistance with exams or other services.

Huma said when Unisa becomes aware of such scams, it alerts students and its other stakeholders.

“We do this through the university’s communication platforms, so as not to fall for scams. The last message was published on November 15, via student targeted communication platforms. Same message was shared with the media on November 16. In addition, relevant departments within the university are also alerted so that they can determine how best to deal with these scams,” said Huma.

SUNDAY TRIBUNE