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To: Nobuhle Pamela Nkabane, Minister of Higher Education

We demand the Dept. of Education to release our diplomas!

Students who set up the petition and have been affected by backlogs have reported that they have started receiving their diplomas nationally, this is what the petition starter said: " I received my diploma yesterday and many other students who have waited for years have been receiving their diplomas in the past few days. We thank you for standing with us during hard times and may you continue being the voice of South Africans"

Photo credit: Joseph Chirume

We demand that the Department of Higher Education prioritize releasing diplomas and certificates to graduates. 

While it is the responsibility of the TVET colleges to inform candidates to collect their qualifications upon receipt by their respective colleges/campuses, colleges are also expected to hand over certificates and diplomas to qualifying candidates [1]. According to DHET, challenges do occur, especially with private college relocations. 

There has been a widely documented issue with the backlog of diplomas and certificates being released by DHET.  Previously, backlogs have been accounted for by different stakeholders such as Umalusi, the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) and DHET [2].

Yet recently, students who attended the KwaMashu Branch of the Elangeni TVET college have complained about losing out on employment opportunities due to DHET and their college failing to issue their certificates [3]. To remedy the situation DHET offered affected students verification letter which is not a desirable solution. 


The SABC has done mutiple interviews covering how the issue of backlogs with issuing certificates affects students watch here: https://youtu.be/Q9RwfsM2FYQ?si=VtUZwSTD2AZgVFHD


Why is this important?

“I am a college student, and I have been studying for three years, including in-service training. I applied for a diploma from the Department of Education last year so I can graduate this year.

My application has been on the verification process for a long period, and I will miss graduation because the department hasn't finished verifying my application 💔

They told me during a telephone conversation that they don't have the papers to print the diplomas, so they buy them overseas.

This is a story of a thousand young people in SA, and we have no voice, some have waited for 5 years, and some even passed away without receiving their diploma’s” - an affected student.  

References
[1] Questions NW3395 to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation. By PMG. https://pmg.org.za/committee-question/20482/

[2] Examination certificate backlog challenges and process: Department, Umalusi and State Information Technology Agency briefings. By PMG. https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/24019/

[3] Six years in limbo - Elangeni TVET college students miss out on jobs while waiting for qualification studies. By Naledi Sikhakhane for Daily Maverick. 14 February 2024. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-02-14-six-years-in-limbo-elangeni-tvet-college-students-miss-out-on-jobs-while-waiting-for-qualification-certificates/

[4] Taletso TVET college students complain about delay in the issuing of certificates, SABC News. 15 May 2023. https://youtu.be/Q9RwfsM2FYQ?si=VtUZwSTD2AZgVFHD






Category

Updates

2025-04-03 10:27:38 +0200

The Department of Higher Education felt the pressure and are working around the clock to ensure the backlog is fixed if you still have issues with receiving your diploma get in touch with us, read more about their statement here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16H84Yn5Vy/

2024-12-02 16:14:08 +0200

Petition is successful with 527 signatures

2024-08-29 15:03:30 +0200

500 signatures reached

2024-08-19 19:29:56 +0200

100 signatures reached

2024-08-19 18:28:59 +0200

50 signatures reached

2024-08-19 18:09:11 +0200

25 signatures reached

2024-08-19 17:16:40 +0200

10 signatures reached