Attention - Notice: For National Conveners of Dogsports, Provincial Council Secretaries and Ad hoc Sub Committee’s

Your attention is drawn to the following extract from the Minutes of the Fedco meeting held 06-2022. The office will be in touch with you shortly to assist you in drafting these amendments.

Examinations for Judges on the Schedules for the various forms of Dogsport as well as Schedules 3 and 9 Appendix “B” 

Submitted by the KUSA Office:

The Chairman explained that, in the area of Judges’ qualification, the various dogsport Schedules generally contained the requirement of a “written exam” on their own Schedules as well as Schedule 3, although some Schedules did not specify whether the exams were to be written with, or without, the use of reference material. This has led to certain National Sub-Committees ostensibly deciding that “open book” exams for their Learner Judges were permissible.

The inconsistencies in the manner in which the various forms of dogsport qualified their Judges on a theoretical level, made the lives of those in the KUSA Office who had to accredit them, untenable, and it was therefore necessary for Fedco to issue a directive, not only on the “open book” question, but also on the inclusion of Schedule 9 Appendix “B” (Code of Conduct and Practice for Judges Licensed by the Kennel Union of Southern Africa) in the study material for examination purposes. Discussion ensued and Fedco was in agreement that, although not specified, it was never the intention for aspiring dogsport judges to sit “open book” exams, since the latter form of examination, as pointed out by NdP, “was no test of knowledge”. “Open book” exams were strictly reserved for the JEC’s Introductory Course, or for examinations authorised by Fedco as part of its harmonisation or transitional policies with regard to take-on Judges.

On the question of Schedule 9 Appendix “B”, Fedco was united in the view that this Schedule was an integral part of Judges’ education.

In consequence, proposed by GR, seconded by NdP,

Fedco directed, unanimously, that the National Sub-Committees of all branches of dogsport should be informed to prepare amendments to their Schedules

• to provide for the inclusion of Schedule 9 Appendix “B” as study material for exam purposes;

and 

• to clarify in their Schedules that exams on the said Schedules and Schedules 3 and 9 Appendix “B” should be written exams without reference to study materials, i.e. “closed book” exams.

In addition to notifying the National Sub-Committees, PM thought it would also be appropriate to send the notice to the Provincial Council Secretaries with a view to their informing their Provincial Sub-Committees, where appropriate. The notice also needed to be published on the KUSA website and shared on the KUSA Facebook page.

GR appealed to the KUSA Office to prepare an inventory of the clauses dealing with Judges’ qualifications in the various dogsport Schedules and, once the above directives had been sent to the National Sub-Committees and others, and published on the KUSA website and Facebook page, to monitor the responses at regular intervals to ensure receipt of the amendments prior to Fedco 12-2022. CPA undertook to do everything possible to enable Fedco to approve the amendments, as directed, in all the relevant Schedules at Fedco 12-2022.

Noted and deferred to Fedco 12-2022.