IEB defends decision to take Umalusi to court
The Independent Examinations Board (IEB) says it has never expected anyone to pay for any of the services it received.
Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi claimed at the weekend that the IEB approached the courts arguing it could not afford to pay for the assessment services offered by the quality assurance council Umalusi.
But IEB chairperson Professor Crain Soudien says the court case deals with the alleged improper charging of fees.
“The Independent Examinations Board does not and has never expected anyone other than the IEB to pay for any services it receives. The IEB wishes to reiterate that it has consistently and timeously paid for all valid and legitimate charges levied by Umalusi that are in accordance with its policy that is implemented in accordance with its own dictums and in accordance with well-established principles of the law.
“It is unfortunate that the Gauteng Member of the Executive Council, MEC Lesufi, has chosen to place this matter in the public domain at a time when it is before the High Court. The matter concerns what the IEB has experienced as improper charging of fees going back to 2016.
“Umalusi has sought to levy the Independent Examinations Board with additional, retrospective, and in our view, unjustified charges for the 2016, 2017 and 2018 academic years and despite numerous attempts by the IEB and its board to resolve the matter amicably with Umalusi, this has not been successful.”
The board says it is currently awaiting the judgment on the 2016 issue.
“The IEB has taken this decision in order to clarify legally what fees Umalusi may charge and how that process should be conducted.
“The IEB will address the inaccuracies and unfounded accusations of this report once the court has given its judgement and believes that the court is best placed to make a fair and impartial judgment with regards to this matter.”
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