‘This Matter Is Complex’: Higher Education Silent as CPUT Accreditation Crisis Deepens

Student leaders at the Bellville campus of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) have confirmed that no academic activities will proceed this week, with a mass meeting planned as frustration grows over what they describe as conflicting information from authorities.

Protests have escalated, with dental technology students continuing their shutdown amid deepening confusion over the status of their programme.

The Core Dispute

While CPUT insists its dental programmes remain in place and that engagements are ongoing, the South African Dental Technicians Council (SADTC) has taken a firm stance, stating that “the CPUT dental technology programme is currently suspended.”

In a detailed explanation, the council pointed to historical failures:

• “In 2019 and 2020, CPUT graduated students, knowing that they had not reached the required standard for registration with the SADTC.”

• Those graduates could not be registered unless they completed a practical re-examination, which they refused.

• The council has been instructed to ensure “there will be no further students graduated without simultaneous registration with the council.”

Infrastructure Concerns

SADTC revealed that previously approved laboratories were shut down last year, while interim facilities used by the university were not authorised.

These spaces “did not conform to regulations and were, in fact, a health and safety hazard ,” forcing the council to instruct the university to cease operations in those labs.

Newly developed laboratories “have still not been given a certificate of compliance from Cape Town City Council and so cannot be used.”

The University’s Position

CPUT has rejected claims that the programme has lost accreditation, arguing that it remains accredited through the Council on Higher Education , while the SADTC’s role is to endorse graduates for professional registration.

University spokesperson Lauren Kansley said engagements are ongoing to resolve the impasse and that new laboratories have recently received certification for occupation.

She added that the crisis affects a limited number of students: “This affects 100 students and CPUT has 40,000 across all ranges of studies.”

The Government’s Silence

The Department of Higher Education and Training has yet to provide clarity. The department has acknowledged the situation but indicated that it remains “complex” and under consideration.

The Bottom Line

The council says the programme is suspended. The university says it’s not. The council says the labs were a health hazard. The university says new labs are certified.

Students are caught in the middle. Protests continue. And the Department of Higher Education says the matter is “complex.”

For 100 dental technology students, their academic futures are on hold.

{Source: IOL}

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