Background Screening

By Busani Ngcaweni, University of the Witwatersrand

The persistent challenge of falsified or misrepresented qualifications in South Africa exposes serious shortcomings in recruitment and appointment processes. Although the scale of the problem is difficult to quantify, it’s considered to be reaching “pandemic” levels. It is worse in the public sector.

The problem became so serious that government introduced the National Qualifications Framework Amendment Act in 2019, making it a criminal offence to misrepresent qualifications. It is punishable by up to five years in prison.

Yet the scourge continues, despite severe personal and professional consequences for some.

The alarmingly high number of individuals pretending to be qualified for high-profile positions undermines trust and capability in organisations.

There have been cases involving top executives and directors of parastatals. Some major companies have not been spared.

Once unsuitable people occupy positions of responsibility, it is difficult to remove them. Their performance seldom improves because they lack the foundation.

Their incompetence can affect institutions severely because they can make wrong decisions that result in financial losses. The South African Broadcasting Corporation, for instance, suffered financially due to poor decisions made by unqualified executives.

Some municipalities with unqualified personnel often hire expensive consultants.

Teachers with fraudulent credentials compromise quality education. This deprives children of opportunities to better their lives.

Unscrupulous individuals have also been caught masquerading as medical doctors, putting lives at risk.

Important infrastructure projects have collapsed owing to fake engineers.

I am a researcher and practitioner of public sector reforms. I also head the National School of Government, which leads the drive to make the country’s public sector professional. I argue that to deter qualifications fraud, the management of human resources in the public sector must be professional.

South Africa can draw lessons from the private sector and other governments.

Loopholes in the system

The National Qualifications Framework Amendment Act is aimed at deterring fraudulent qualifications. Some people have gone to jail for this crime.

But measures to deter and punish it must be complemented by human resources management reforms.

In my view, poor human resource screening processes, inadequate verification systems and ambiguous job descriptions and entry requirements contribute to appointing unsuitable candidates.

The weekly public sector vacancies circular, published by the Department of Public Service and Administration, is a major source of data showing these limitations. It’s full of job advertisements where the minimum qualifications requirements are either too wide or below standard.

Some of the people who recruit and select staff are negligent. They fail to conduct thorough background checks or to screen applicants properly. This results in the appointment of unqualified and fraudulent candidates.

Learning from the private sector

The private sector, driven by competitive pressures and stakeholder expectations, developed robust systems to ensure the integrity and effectiveness of human resource functions. These systems can guide public sector reforms.

Companies invest in advanced technologies and third-party verification services. They use agencies to check candidates’ fingerprints, verify qualifications, find references, and even do personality profiles.

In contrast, public sector human resources personnel often rely on manual processes. These consume time and are prone to inaccuracies and manipulation. They can also be cumbersome as junior and middle management job advertisements often attract thousands of applicants.

The private sector uses well-defined competency frameworks. These outline the skills, knowledge and experience required to evaluate a candidate.

Many private sector human resources practitioners belong to professional bodies. These enforce ethical standards. They also certify practitioners and promote ongoing professional development.

Businesses also employ licensed and professional human resources practitioners. These are expected to be innovative, productive and ethical, and to act in the best interests of their employers. They can be dismissed if they lose their professional licence. These are guardrails against abuse.

Learning from other governments

India, China, South Korea, Singapore and several European nations have stringent public sector recruitment and selection methods. They emphasise merit and transparency to ensure only qualified and competent people are appointed.

India’s Union Public Service Commission conducts a highly competitive civil services examination to recruit candidates.

China uses the National Civil Service Examination, known as the Guokao. It evaluates candidates’ intellectual aptitude, policy knowledge and professional skills for jobs in government ministries and state-owned enterprises.

South Korea’s Civil Service Examination system is a rigorous process which tests candidates’ analytical and managerial capabilities.

Singapore is known for its efficient government. It employs structured assessment centres, psychometric testing and panel interviews to ensure capable people join the public sector.

To uphold high standards of professionalism and integrity in governance, Germany and France have competitive entrance assessments for civil service roles.

France’s Institut National du Service Public uses stringent entry requirements to prepare candidates for senior public service.

South Africa introduced a pre-entry assessment called Nyukela/Step Up in 2020. It is applicable to public servants and citizens who wish to apply for a position in the senior management service.

Professionalising the public sector

Cabinet approved the National Framework Towards Professionalisation of the Public Sector in October 2022. It aims to tighten pre-entry requirements and carefully screen applicants. This includes verifying qualifications, testing integrity and assessing competence. The framework requires that public sector entities develop detailed job descriptions.

The framework will help block fraud by professionalising human resources, supply chain management and legal services, among others. It will help human resources practitioners improve their competencies and make them part of a wider professional network. This is important for continued professional development.

There will be consequences when officials violate their professional code of ethics. This has worked for lawyers and accountants who are disbarred for ethical and professional breaches.

The framework gives the Public Service Commission a role in recruiting of heads of departments. This step controls entry to top positions in the civil service. The commission will bring two or more subject matter sector experts into the selection panels, making the process more rigorous.

Busani Ngcaweni, Visiting Adjunct Professor, Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.