JOHANNESBURG – A decision by the University of Limpopo (UL) to deregister two master’s degree students who were close to graduation has been labelled as unfair and unjustifiable.
In February last year, the institution terminated the studies of Philisiwe Cele and Ntando Mnguni after it found they did not meet the general admission requirements for its master’s degree programme in information sciences.
READ: Limpopo University defends decision to deregister 2 master’s students
At the time of the termination, Cele and Mnguni were studying for two years at UL.
On Wednesday, the Limpopo High Court heard an opposed application from the students to have their terminations reviewed and set aside.
The University of Limpopo has argued its acceptance form comes with a disclaimer that it reserves the right to terminate a student’s registration when there is probable cause.
However, Advocate Beauty Madhava, who is representing the two students, said the disclaimer also added that the university needed to act within a reasonable time frame.
“My Lady, can we say, after the admission period, after the learners have undergone the master’s programme and upon completion or just about the time it (their dissertations) had to be referred to the Senate, can we say this is within a reasonable time? My answer to that will be a big no.”
The institution said it’s unfortunate it only found out at a later stage that the students possessed a B-tech degree instead of the required Bachelor’s degree.
Thabiso Goba
www.ewn.co.za
