Determined to get their law degree re-accredited by next year, Walter Sisulu University (WSU) has roped in internationally acclaimed human rights scholar, academic and lawyer prof Vinodh Jaichand.
Jaichand, previously head of the law school at the University of Witwatersrand, was appointed professor of law in the department of legal studies with effect from November 1.
The professor’s appointment is one of a number of remedial actions the university has implemented to regain its law accreditation by 2019.
In 2017, the Council for Higher Education (CHE) stopped the university from offering LLB degrees from January 2019 when it discovered during an assessment of 21 South African universities that WSU had under-qualified lecturers and its lecture halls were not suitable.
WSU spokesperson Yonela Tukwayo said Jaichand was one of two applicants shortlisted.
“He is an experienced educator who will be able to add academic leadership to the department,” said Tukwayo.
“I am here to rethink with my colleagues all the constraints the department has. I will act as mentor, but I hope I will find someone to mentor me as well, because no one is a finished product,” he said.
Jaichand’s role is to bolster research productivity, while teaching two courses that will be determined by the head of the department.
Tukwayo said the appointment of senior staff was but one of a number of remedial action steps the university had taken to get the LLB re-accredited.
She said the university was finalising another senior appointment, and would continue to look for more staff.
The university has also reworked the curriculum entirely and the documentation was currently subject to internal review processes.
In order to assist the cash-strapped institution, the department of higher education & training set aside R183m for WSU to upgrade its lecture halls and science laboratory, as well as hire much-needed staff.
WSU hopes to submit the application for re-accreditation before the end of 2018...