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1 JUNIE 2017
LEES JOU KAMPUS
Wenner van die 2016 ATKV Mediaveertjie vir die beste studentekoerant WAPAD® IS DIE STUDENTEKOERANT VAN DIE NWU-POTCHEFSTROOMKAMPUS
JAARGANG 71
SMS-LYN 31750 MET WOORD ‘WAPAD' VOOR
WAPAD@NWU.AC.ZA
Biblioteekopgradering word uitgestel
3 Interkampus: PHOTO: SCHENÉ MEYER
LLB may be lost in translation Dennis Delport & Le-Lanie Ludick @Dennisdelport @le_lanie
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he Faculty of Law may lose its accreditation after the National Review Committee (NRC) issued a notice of withdrawal of accreditation for the North-West University’s (NWU) LLB degree. The NRC’s notice is based on the findings of a revision programme conducted in 2016 on all South African universities that offer LLB as a degree. The NWU’s LLB programme does not meet all of the requirements needed to be fully accredited and therefore an improvement plan will be submitted by 6 October 2017 to stipulate how the faculty plans to resolve the issues identified by the NRC. Prof Fika Janse van Rensburg, campus rector of the NWU’s Potchefstroom campus, said the university has a plan of action. “Management has instructed the faculty judge to lay the foundations of its reconstruction plans, which the NWU will then submit on 6 October.” This reconstruction plan will be consulted with all stakeholders, including the academic staff and students of law. The NRC’s notice however does not mean the degree is no longer accredited or accepted. The degree remains valid, but the existence of a notice of withdrawal could lead to severe consequences for the faculty and prospective students. Current students enrolled for the LLB programme are not affected by
the decision of the NRC. Managay Reddi, president of The South African Law Dean’s Association’s (SALDA), assured all students that they will be able to continue their studies. “They will graduate with an accredited qualification.” The programme remains accredited until the NRC decides otherwise, but this will not influence students that are currently enrolled in the programme. This decision will be made after 6 October. Thereafter, students will be certain of their future in the NWU’s Faculty of Law.
I won’t feel comfortable with a degree that has been under threat in the past. The NRC based their decision on three elements that did not meet their standards. The first matter is the discrepancy between the two sites of delivery – Potchefstroom and Mafikeng. Among other issues, the provision of curriculum delivery was highlighted as one of the main concerns. This pertains to the disparity in both presentation of lesson material and its assessment on the two campuses. Prof Fika Janse van Rensburg assured students that these concerns are currently being addressed. “From 1 July 2017, there will no longer be separate faculties on each campus, there will be only one
Faculty of Law.” This decision ensures solidarity between the two campuses, as there will be only one executive dean responsible for both campuses’ faculties. Secondly, the NRC found that there is a lack of substantive integration in the programme as well as on the Potchefstroom campus. This issue was highlighted by students using the translation services during LLB lectures. SJ Lelaka, a first-year LLB-student, agrees with the issue. “In terms of where we are moving towards in the future, the institution is placing everyone at a disadvantage and not only English speaking students. Law is English and everyone will benefit from an English background in law.” Ultimately, it is the third matter that will affect prospective students. The NRC states that the low admission requirements are not on par with the amount of support for students during the course of their studies. In this vein, admission requirements for the BA and BCom law degrees have already been adjusted upwardly. Prof Fika Janse van Rensburg assured students in the faculty: “We have everything in place to have the improvement plan submitted by 6 October, ready in time.” However, if the NRC is not satisfied by the improvement plan and the structural changes proposed by the NWU, the withdrawal of accreditation is a strong possibility. Quinton Masemola, a firstyear BA Law student, said even though he will be able to complete his studies, he will consider another university. “I won’t feel comfortable with a degree that has been under threat in the past.”
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