The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has had a longstanding battle with releasing certificates and diploma’s to former students of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges.
Although the department has made recent progress in issuing certificates there are still of number of graduates who are yet to receive their qualifications.
Despite having evidence of their tertiary schooling and internship experience, employer’s refuse to hire them without their qualifications on paper.
Many have expressed that they pursued study fields that are amongst the scarce skills list and occupations that are in high demand but without their certificates, they are still unable to find employment.
Graduates at a TVET college in Okiep near Springbok in Namaqualand have expressed that they've not only been robbed of their qualifications but also of their ability to find employment and ability to make much-needed contributions to the economy.
About 40 Okiep graduates have been waiting for over five years for the DHET to issue their National Diplomas and have received very little communication from the department on the progress and when their diplomas will be released.
In an interview, Shannon Meyer who studied Human Resources at the Okiep TVET College for three years says that she is one of the 40 graduates who are still waiting for their certificates.
At the moment, it seems like I haven’t finished my studies. I only have my N6 certificate at the moment and I did complete my internship, which made me qualify for my diploma, but after five years, I still haven’t received anything from the department.
Meyer explains that they’ve provided all the evidence that was required to process their certifications but have not received any updates from the department.
Nathaly Hagglund, another Human Resources graduate, says that she was lucky enough to secure a job despite not having proof of her national diploma certificate but longs for the day where she gets to show her parents her tertiary qualification.
“We all have a dream, and my dream was to receive my national diploma and tell my parents, ‘look here, I made you proud’. But it’s almost like you feel robbed from that.” says Hagglund.
The department has advised all former TVET college students who are awaiting their results to escalate their enquiries with the department of higher education and lodge concerns via the e-GOV portal on www.eservices.gov.z
