The Cape Peninsula University of Technology pushes ahead with graduations and a return to campus.
Image: AI Generated
The Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) is moving forward with graduations, an on-campus return, and an "action plan" intended to solve problems for dental technology students.
However, the South African Dental Technicians Council (SADTC) insists that the university's dental technology programme is still suspended. Consequently, students claim they are being left behind, their futures jeopardised by the ongoing deadlock.
"I feel sad and frustrated. I feel sad because I'm supposed to be part of the cohort that will be graduating, but because of all these delays, I find myself being pushed to the side, forced to watch from the sidelines,” one fourth-year dental technology student said.
The student added that the uncertainty is compounded by the lack of practical training, saying their graduation prospects remain unclear "since we still haven't been to the labs".
"I’m frustrated at the university for continuing with graduation as if nothing is going on behind the scenes. They have ostracised us as if we are undeserving," the student said.
They also raised concerns about transparency, claiming the university had not been upfront about accreditation issues.
"When we asked about it in a meeting earlier this year… they told us that when we were accepted into the programme, it was accredited. Right now it turns out that it wasn’t… This has made us feel uncertain about our studies and what will happen once we graduate."
The student further questioned what their qualification would mean in practice, noting that registration with the regulator is critical to entering the profession.
"My knowledge of the SADTC is that they register us… so once we graduate, we can practise professionally in South Africa," she said, adding that earlier assurances by the university that past disputes would not affect them have now proven hollow.
The fourth-year student’s concerns come amid tensions between CPUT and the SADTC, leaving many in the programme caught between the institution and the council.
In a newsletter dated "07 April" that was sent to students and seen by reporters, CPUT signalled a return to normal operations, stating that "all on-campus academic activities will continue from Wednesday 8 April without disruption", with "in-person classes" resuming across campuses.
The university also confirmed that graduation ceremonies would proceed, saying the Autumn series "will go ahead without disruption", while adding that "all student suspensions related to the current shutdown… will be lifted with immediate effect".
On the dental programmes, spokesperson of the university, Lauren Kangsley, maintained that there is no threat to its academic standing, stating that, "Dental Technology remains an accredited programme by the Council on Higher Education (CHE). SADTC is responsible for ensuring the standards of the programme are upheld and should endorse students once they graduate so that they may be employed. They have refused to do the latter."
She explained that for the past few years, the SADTC has "extended its powers and asserted that they should also participate in CPUT’s administering of assessments and be involved in the learning and teaching".
The university has stressed that this is not the function of the oversight stakeholder.
Kangsley said that they have now escalated this matter to the ministerial level of the Department of Higher Education and Training, as well as to the Department of Health.
But the SADTC has not backed down.
The council has reiterated that "the dental technology programme is currently suspended" and that it has not accredited the programme at CPUT. It emphasised that while institutions may be accredited by the CHE, "professional programmes must be accredited by the regulator for those professions".
In a pointed warning, the SADTC said it "cannot accredit the institution, until it (CPUT) agrees to the conditions for accreditation", raising concerns that the university is not recognising its authority under the Dental Technicians Act.
The council cautioned that if the university continues to graduate students under current conditions, "those students will not be able to practice their profession, and their degree will be worthless in that regard".
It also warned that training conducted in unregistered laboratories could prompt enforcement action, including steps to shut down such facilities.
Meanwhile, Kangsley has indicated that outstanding academic, operational, and governance matters, including those affecting dental students, will only be finalised after the current graduation period, with a deadline set for the end of April.
lilita.gcwabe@inl.co.za