Cape Town - A Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) industrial engineering student fears she may not be able to graduate after the institution allegedly lost her academic records.
Violet Jacobs from Bellville said after she graduated from mechanical engineering she decided to study industrial engineering.
“I got a few exemptions due to the subject overlap of the two courses. Upon graduating from mechanical engineering, I got my academic transcript listing all my subjects, including exemptions, and my diploma, but now that I'm supposed to do my in-service training, CPUT's IT interface is preventing me from registering as it claims I need to do one specific subject, which I've been exempted for.
“I called the faculty office and they said they can't find my academic records and that it's disappeared. They've been investigating it since February 3. I've escalated the matter to the dean of the faculty, and still nothing. No one is able to help me.”
CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley confirmed Jacobs had applied for internal recognition for a number of subjects. This was approved and processed and the student's record was updated accordingly.
“A technical issue has meant that some subjects have not appeared on her record and we are investigating why this is. Our faculty staff have been in constant contact with the student to explain the process. We hope to have a resolution that will assist the student in the meantime while the investigation is concluded.
“The faculty is exploring various options and we hope to have the matter resolved soon but if not, the faculty manager will provide the student with a progress and status update by Monday. The student still has until March 15 to register and the matter should be resolved before then.”
Jacobs said the situation has been emotionally draining.
“The frustrating part is that this is not the first time they've lost vital documentation of mine. Prior to graduating from mechanical engineering, my required prior learning portfolio was misplaced and even that delayed my graduation. This all feels like history repeating itself. I don't know whether this is a deliberate isolated incident, or whether there are more students who experienced this.”
Cape Times