University under fire from parliament over failure to recognise students' previous qualifications
The University of Limpopo is under mounting pressure from parliament's higher education portfolio committee over its alleged failure to understand and apply the national qualifications framework (NQF), resulting in students being barred from graduating.
Chair Tebogo Letsie said the committee was alarmed by the growing number of complaints from former students. The committee had received nine grievances from students so far. His comments come as the university faces two more letters of demand from students who were informed shortly before graduation that their degrees would not be conferred because their previous qualifications were not recognised.
The students' lawyer Godrich Gardee said the university had less than 10 days to respond to the letters of demand. Letsie said the university was showing a worrying disregard for the national qualifications framework. 'We are extremely concerned,' he said.
Letsie said the university CFO, Mamokgadi Masete, had disclosed to the committee that Limpopo had spent R14.7m on legal fees to defend cases from students and staff.
'We then asked for a breakdown of each case. We never received it. We wrote three times and received no response. On March 21, the committee summoned the university to send a detailed report on the matter, as the institution said there had been consequences for people [staff] who accepted students who did not meet the requirements.
The report would include details about other issues of governance. 'We had given them seven days to respond. They ignored us. I then wrote to the speaker [Thoko Didiza] but she was away, and after that we went on recess ...'
Letsie said he hoped to get responses from Didiza this week. 'I have also written to the minister of higher education [Nobuhle Nkabane] to ask that she appoint an independent assessor to investigate these cases. She did confirm that she would look into the matter and is waiting for external legal opinion.'
In March, the Limpopo high court ordered the university to reconsider a decision on two other students whose qualifications from the Durban University of Technology were not recognised, despite them having studied for two years.
Nkabane's spokesperson Camagwini Mavovana acknowledged Sowetan's questions sent on Tuesday but had not responded by the time of publication. University spokesperson Victor Kgomoeswana said: '... if you get a letter from a client written by their lawyers, we are not responsible for ventilating the merits of the case to the media'.
'I would say let's wait for the VC [vice-chancellor] to receive the letters, look at them, and he will attend to it. I don't think it's fair to discuss the matters of students.'
Kgomoeswana said every case was different in terms of its merits. 'Every student who applies to the university will present their qualifications, and every qualification has its [specific] requirements.
'Some students will meet the requirements, some will not; there is no general rule.'
He did not say how many students were affected or what measures have been put in place to avoid enrolling students whose qualifications were not recognised.
Dikeletso Madigoe said she had obtained a four-year diploma in nursing from the Limpopo College of Nursing and completed a postgraduate diploma at Stellenbosch University. In 2018, she enrolled at the University of Limpopo for a master's in public health.
She said she was depressed as the university ignored her request for an explanation as to why her previous qualifications were not recognised. 'I spent more than R50,000 on my studies, excluding travelling and accommodation,' she said. 'I am a breadwinner and take care of my family of more than five.
'I get so emotional around graduation season and want to know what might have gone wrong.'
Victor Teffo, who completed a BEd honours in natural sciences at the Tshwane University of Technology in 2019, enrolled at the University of Limpopo in 2021 for a master's degree.
His research was approved in 2022. When the university requested verification of his previous qualifications in March 2024, the SA Qualifications Authority confirmed them, and the university acknowledged receipt. Despite this, he too was told just weeks before graduation he would not receive his degree.
'I worked sleepless nights to meet my deadlines. I've applied for jobs that require a master's degree. I missed out on career-changing opportunities,' said Teffo.
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