The University of Limpopo is under fire after two students in its master's programme took it to court when it terminated them from its graduate programme after completing their studies.
Peace Mnguni and Philisiwe Cele have applied to have the courts compel the university to reverse its decision to terminate them from their postgraduate programme with costs.
Having failed during appeals at the university, the two students turned to EFF leader and attorney Godrich Gardee for legal assistance.
Cele, whose affidavit was seen by TimesLIVE Premium, graduated from the Durban University of Technology with a bachelor of technology in library and information studies. She would later further her studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, graduating with an honours degree in library and information science in 2018.
She then applied and was accepted by the University of Limpopo in its master's programme.
I mentioned that I have committed myself mentally, physically, emotionally and finally and worked tirelessly to finish my studies within a given time limit, and I have difficulties understanding how all my efforts were suddenly in vain.
— Philisiwe Cele
She said the postgraduate prospectus at Limpopo University offers a master of information studies as a research master's programme culminating in the dissertation relevant to the discipline of choice.
The university’s admission requirements included a four-year bachelor of information studies degree or equivalent and the average of 60% in the honours qualification with a duration minimum of a year and a maximum of three years.
In September 2021 the university approved her research proposal. In November 2021 she received a clearance certificate.
In October 2022 her research supervisor Prof Maoka Dikotla recommended her dissertation be accepted as meeting the requirements for the conferment of a master's degree.
Dikotla remarked that she had carefully addressed all concerns and issues raised by external examiners to the satisfaction of the supervisor recommending she be awarded a master's degree in information science.
As she was celebrating this achievement, Dikotla informed her through a string of emails that the head of department of communication, media and information studies, Prof Solomon Bopape, said her BTech degree from DUT did not meet the university's admission requirements.
Cele’s questions and appeals to the university heads went unanswered. She said in February 2023 she received the letter terminating her studies with an option to appeal.
“The letter stated the university decided to terminate my studies due to not meeting admission requirements as stated in the general rules. The letter further stated that registration at the university takes place in accordance with the general rules. The letter also stated that I have the right to appeal, and it provided me with an appeal email.”
She said she appealed the decision, stating it to be unfair.
“I stated that the past two years (2021 and 2022) I have made every effort to comply with each of the master's degree regulations. I mentioned that I have committed myself mentally, physically and emotionally and worked tirelessly to finish my studies within a given time limit, and I have difficulty understanding how all my efforts were suddenly in vain.
“In my appeal letter I added that I have sent my qualification to the South African qualification of authority for verification, and the verification letter was attached. I also mentioned that I have not discovered any violation or misconduct nor any information indicating that any of my qualifications are inadmissible, constituting a conduct leading to the termination letter.”
Cele said the university said her appeal falls outside the mandate of the committee.
Cele said the matter had affected her professional progress, as she had her provisional acceptance from Unisa for a doctorate programme reversed.
“I was admitted on the basis that I sent Unisa a copy of my full dissertation of the master's degree in information science provisionally.”
She said the conduct of the University of Limpopo and the department of higher education “give credence that universities of technology are nothing less than glorified high schools in that some or most mainstream universities look down on the qualification attained in those universities of technology”.
“The mistake of the first respondent, if indeed it is a mistake in admitting me knowing that I possess an undergraduate degree from the university of technology, cannot be my fault. For all the two years I spent in the programme the first respondent had ample time and opportunity to rectify the mistake. The inadequacies of the first respondent cannot be imputed to be my inefficiencies such that I should suffer the consequences being visited on me by the abrupt decision of the first respondent to terminate my studies long after I've completed the programme.”
Mnguni said she had met all the requirements to qualify for the master's programme.
“It is incumbent on this honourable court to bring to finality and stop the unfair treatment of unsuspecting students against a predator institution that has continuously appeared before court on similar instances as that of mine,” Mnguni said.
Vice-chancellor at the University of Limpopo Prof Mahlo Mokgalong said the institution is duty-bound to pass students to ensure that its certificates are of the highest standard and qualitatively comparable with qualifications of other tertiary institutions.
He said its degrees and qualifications should enable graduates to compete in the labour market not just in South Africa but the continent and beyond.
He added the design of a programme is a carefully constructed learning process in a particular major field of study which equips a student with basic requisite knowledge and skills necessary to competently use those in the world of work.
He said a BTech degree has 120 credit score whereas the university's bachelor's degree has a minimum of 360 credits to be admitted to an honours programme at the university.
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