Court gives Damelin a chance to pass muster

Correspondence college Damelin and the Council of Higher Education have settled their differences after the latter took four years to reach a decision to refuse to reaccredit the bulk of their diploma and degree courses.

Acting Judge Liezl Haupt this week granted an order setting aside the council’s June 2018 decision not to reaccredit seven of Damelin’s academic programmes and three programmes offered in Port Elizabeth, Boksburg and Centurion.

Damelin undertook to ensure all the programmes complied with the criteria for accreditation by the end of the year and was put on a notice period pending reassessment of the programmes.

Damelin undertook to supply the council with programme designs, updated study guides and assessments, and a report with evidence indicating all the steps implemented to solve the issues raised by the council.

The council in turn undertook to make a decision by the end of September next year.

Damelin also agreed not to enroll new students in the affected programmes until it had provided the council with the updated materials and report.

The court order followed the settlement.

Damelin had applied for an order to suspend the council’s decision pending the outcome of an application to set it aside as it “could cost 300 lecturers their jobs and lead to financial losses of just under R4 million”.

– ilsedl@citizen.co.za

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