Unisa social work degree ditched over content 'shock'

09 August 2015 - 02:00 By BOBBY JORDAN

The Department of Higher Education has scrapped one of the degrees offered by the University of South Africa due to "shortcomings" in the curriculum. As from next year, the Council on Higher Education will no longer accredit Unisa's Bachelor of Social Work degree, Unisa's vice-chancellor, Professor Mandla Makhanya, said in a statement this week.The decision comes just days after some Unisa staff had voiced concern about education standards at the university due to the introduction of alternative assessments - rather than written exams - for some students.Last week, the Sunday Times reported that some students will be able to write open-book assignments at home, as long as they submit a written declaration that the work is their own.Makhanya said the decision to scrap the social work degree was prompted by concerns over the content of the course."It came as a shock, but not entirely as a surprise," he said. "In the normal cycle of quality assessment of our academic courses, we have identified a few shortcomings in the current programme offering.story_article_left1"On the recommendation of the Council on Higher Education, the university is urgently finalising a new degree programme to replace the existing one," Makhanya said.Unisa spokesman Martin Ramotshela said the decision was in no way linked to the concession student policy that will make it possible for struggling students to write open-book exams.Makhanya said de-accreditation would not affect students currently registered for the social work programme, who would be managed through a "teach-out" plan.However, the university would not accept new students into the programme until changes had been made."Rest assured that we are unwavering in our commitment to provide academic programmes and offerings that are relevant and responsive to the needs of our society and stakeholders, most notably our students," he said.Lumka Oliphant, spokeswoman for the Department of Social Development, said they would only comment on the matter after studying the reasons for the downgrade.She said, however, that social work had been declared a scarce skill and that the department was investigating ways of improving the social work curriculum to make it more relevant.In this regard, a memorandum of understanding was due to be signed with Howard University in the US, Oliphant said.Phumelele Ngcobo, capacity building manager at the Aids Foundation of South Africa, said: "Social work is a critical skill and social workers play a critical role, especially in our child protection programmes - we can't implement them successfully without a qualified social worker."She said government social workers had massive workloads. "There is a big need in the community, but not many financial resources are set aside."..

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.