Ongoing problems relating to the accreditation of dental students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) remain unresolved, with the South African Dental Technicians Council saying the programme had been suspended, and citing historical failures and infrastructure issues, reports the Cape Times.
On Friday, Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) Deputy Minister Nomusa Dube-Ncube was having a meeting with Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi in efforts to devise a solution to the crisis.
Department spokesperson Matshepo Seedat said the situation “is complex, involving multiple stakeholders”.
“While there is not yet a solution, the point of the meeting is to find a solution that will assist with clarity and progress for students and institutions. We are hoping a solution will come through,” she said.
Seedat added that the dispute was not unique to CPUT, and was affecting students at Durban University of Technology and Tshwane University of Technology as well.
CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley said: “It has been three years since CPUT has been able to enrol students in this critical skill, despite doing multiple engagements with the SADTC to ensure the continuation of the programme.”
The current issues affect 42 dental technology students who are already in the pipeline and moving towards graduation.
“Despite the SADTC’s claims that the programme has been ‘suspended’, we want to be clear that Dental Technology remains an accredited programme by the Council on Higher Education.
“The 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 said.
The dispute has escalated because the regulator has asserted powers beyond its statutory mandate, demanding involvement in assessments and teaching, she noted.
“For the past few years, the SADTC has extended its powers and asserted it should also participate in CPUT’s administering of assessments and be involved in learning and teaching.
“The university has stressed that this is not the function of the oversight stakeholder and we have now escalated this matter to ministerial level at the Department of Higher Education and Training as well as to the Department of Health,” Kansley said.
The SADTC said that the Dental Technology programme cannot proceed without its accreditation.
“We cannot accredit until CPUT agrees to the conditions for accreditation,” the regulator said. It also warned that training in unregistered laboratories could trigger enforcement action, including closure by authorities.
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