The Council on Higher Education (CHE), which is the accrediting body for higher education qualifications and programmes, has partly cleared the Walter Sisulu University in the Eastern Cape after claims that a number of its courses are unaccredited. 

The CHE said that it, and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), reviewed courses offered at the university following media reports that over a dozen of them weren't accredited.

"The three organisations, CHE, SAQA, and DHET, have reviewed their records and can confirm that the following programmes referenced in the articles meet all the requirements for offering ie, they are on the PQM of the university, they are accredited, and they are registered on the NQF," said the CHE in a statement. 

The following programmes meet the requirements

Programmes that meet the requirements

• Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Senior Phase and Further Education and Training Phase Teaching, including the PGCE in Senior Phase and Further Education (Humanities)
• PGCE in Senior Phase and Further Education (Languages)
• PGCE in Senior Phase and Further Education (Science)
• Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
• Bachelor of Social Science
• Bachelor of Social Sciences 
• Bachelor of Social Science Extended (ECP) 
• Bachelor of Social Science (ECP)
• Bachelor of Social Sciences Honours
• Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) 
• Bachelor of Social Work
• BSc Honours in Computer Science
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
• Bachelor of Computer Science (ECP) 
• Doctor of Philosophy in Natural Sciences
• Master of Medicine in Diagnostic Radiology
• Master of Medicine in Family Medicine
• Master of Medicine in Orthopaedic Surgery
• Master of Medicine in Paediatrics and Child Health 
• Master of Medicine in Psychiatry
• Master of Medicine in Paediatric Surgery
• Master of Science in Chemical Pathology 
• Master of Science in Physiological Sciences
• Master of Science in Medical Microbiology 

The CHE said that five programmes were continuations of legacy qualifications that were formally accredited as aligned to the Higher Education Qualifications Framework. 

These programmes are:

• Advanced Diploma in Internal Auditing
• Advanced Diploma in Journalism
• BSc Honours in Zoology
• Master of Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Postgraduate Diploma in Chemical Pathology. 

"In 2013, a revised Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework (HEQSF) was gazetted as policy, replacing the HEQF, and all higher education institutions had to align their legacy qualifications to the HEQSF.

"New student registrations could be taken into the legacy qualifications until 31 December 2019, after which the programmes had to be taught out or a new programme put in place that enabled continued offering in the area," said CHE adding that the five qualifications fell under this category and should be in teach-out until new replacement programmes are accredited and registered.

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The CHE said that the Postgraduate Diploma in Library and Information Services was a legacy programme that hasn't been offered since 2019. 

The organisation also met with WSU to confirm its record.

"The CHE is also currently undertaking a full institutional audit at Walter Sisulu University as part of a national round of institutional audits that is under way.

"Complementary to this process, the CHE will undertake a full audit of the qualifications and programmes being offered by the University to ensure full compliance with regulatory requirements. The institution has already initiated processes that will support the CHE audit of programmes and qualifications," said The CHE.