WSU stripped of LLB status- Council puts the skids under law degree

The council for Higher Education (CHE) has stopped Walter Sisulu University from offering LLB degrees in its law faculty, effectively from January 2019.

This after CHE discovered during an assessment of 21 South African universities that WSU’s LLB programme had under-qualified lecturers and its lecture halls were not suitable for use.

The report CHE handed over in April also red-flagged WSU’s electrical and mechanical engineering degree programmes.

In order to assist the cash-strapped institution, the Department of Higher Education and Training even set aside R183-million for WSU to upgrade its lecture halls and science laboratory, as well as hire much-needed staff.

WSU deputy vice-chancellor of academic affairs and research, Professor Sechaba Mahlomaholo, confirmed yesterday that accreditation for the university’s LLB programme had been withdrawn.

CHE is the independent statutory body established in May 1998 to develop and implement a system of quality assurance for higher education, including programme accreditation, and institutional audits.

In April it raised the alarm over WSU’s Mthatha- based law faculty. It gave the institution until October 6 to hire the required staff and build suitable lecture halls to avoid it from being banned from providing this highly sought-after law degree.

A few months later, WSU spokeswoman, Yonela Tukwayo told the Dispatch that WSU had managed to recruit three professors and three doctors to bolster its LLB law degree in order to comply with CHE standards.

Tukwayo did not mention their names. At the time Tukwayo also said the university would also put up mechanisms “to refurbish our infrastructure and set up Wi-Fi access for students”.

But CHE released a statement on Wednesday, announcing that WSU is the only institution in the country which won’t be allowed to take in any new LLB students from 2019.

Prof Mahlomaholo reassured all affected students that everything was under control. “It is important to note that the withdrawal does not affect the validity of qualifications which current students are in the course of obtaining.

“The university will also be able to honour its commitment to persons who are admitted to LLB studies in 2018. Furthermore, we will make a special effort to submit a new programme to the CHE for accreditation during the course of 2018.”

Mahlomaholo said students who are already in the system will be afforded an opportunity to complete their studies, given that there will be a five-year “teach-out” period for the current LLB programme.

CHE gave WSU until July next year to hire the required academic staff to teach electrical and mechanical engineering. WSU first-ear law student Zoliswa Gongqa feared that her qualification would be met with scepticism by future employers.

Gongqa said: “WSU owes us an explanation because we have questioned many things about this (law) department including the fact that we have never had a permanent lecturer”.

“How can they employ people who run their own law practices because already their attention is divided. We often go weeks without a lecturer because they have other commitments. Some lecturers are not even properly qualified and have only a masters or honours degree. We are not being taught by doctors or professors of law like at UKZN. We are really upset and disappointed because we have tried to get management to address the problems but nothing happens.”