Higher Education Dept to probe alleged racial bias at UCT
UCT said it will cooperate fully with the department’s probe and has launched its internal process to verify the accusations.
UCT's Sarah Baartman Hall. Picture: Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp
JOHANNESBURG - Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela has announced his department will investigate allegations of racial bias related to marking at the University of Cape Town (UCT).
The claims, made public on social media and by a former head of department, suggest white students were given higher marks while students of colour were unfairly disadvantaged.
UCT said it will cooperate fully with the department’s probe and has launched its internal process to verify the accusations.
Briefing the media in Tshwane on Tuesday, Manamela described the allegations as grave and unacceptable - saying academic integrity and fairness must be upheld across the sector.
He said his department will engage directly with the university and other relevant bodies to ensure the facts are established and appropriate action is taken.
“Such allegations are quite concerning, and we will not brush them aside; and we will go deeper into it. Because they go into the root of the credibility of the system.”
The minister added that if any wrongdoing is confirmed, intervention will be swift and decisive to restore trust in the institution.
He also reiterated his broader goal of ensuring all post-school institutions operate without bias and deliver quality education.