CPUT accreditation crisis deepens amid student protests
Accreditation of dental programmes at CPUT has been suspended by the SADTC, while confusion deepens for students and protests continue.
Image: Lilita Gcwabe
Student leaders at the Bellville campus of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) have suspended academic activities this week amid ongoing protests.
Dental technology students are continuing their shutdown due to confusion over their programme's status and conflicting information from authorities.
The latest unrest builds on earlier demonstrations, where students warned that prolonged class cancellations had effectively placed their academic futures on hold.
Student leaders at the Bellville campus have confirmed that no academic activities will proceed this week, with a mass meeting planned as frustration grows amongst students.
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At the centre of the dispute is accreditation. 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 the programme, noting that "in 2019 and 2020, CPUT graduated students, knowing that they had not reached the required standard for registration with the SADTC".
It added that registration is a legal requirement to practice, but those graduates could not be registered unless they completed a practical re-examination, which they refused.
The council further stressed that intervention from health authorities has tightened requirements, stating that it has been instructed to ensure "there will be no further students graduated without simultaneous registration with the council".
A key sticking point remains CPUT’s position on academic autonomy. The SADTC said the university has maintained that it can graduate students regardless of whether they meet registration requirements, adding that it was left with no choice but to impose stricter conditions.
These include a requirement for "a joint assessment of the final practical exit-level examination by a panel comprising the university and the council examiners".
Infrastructure concerns have also been central to the suspension. SADTC revealed that previously approved laboratories were shut down last year, while interim facilities used by the university were not authorised. It said these spaces "did not conform to regulations and were, in fact, a health and safety hazard", forcing it to instruct the university to cease operations in those labs.
It also noted that newly developed laboratories could not yet be used, stating that they "have still not been given a certificate of compliance from Cape Town City Council and so cannot be used". While provisional registration had been granted, this remains subject to final inspection.
Despite these findings, 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.
On Tuesday, 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, stating that "this affects 100 students and CPUT has 40,000 across all ranges of studies".
The university did not directly address the specific non-compliance issues raised by SADTC.
Meanwhile, 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.