Students from the Crawford campus of the College of Cape Town protested in the city today. Photo: Thembela Ntongana
26 May 2016
Approximately 200 students from the College of Cape Town marched on the offices of the Western Cape Education Department to hand in a memorandum demanding recognition of the three year Primary Health Care course offered at Crawford campus.
The first intake of students in this course was enrolled in January 2013 and graduated in December 2015.
Students said they had been told that once they graduated from the course they would be able to work as assistant nurses and also would have the opportunity to use the certificate to further their studies in nursing. But this had not happened, they said.
Deputy president of the SRC at the college, Khayalethu Kama, said the course was not recognised by the South African Nursing Council.
“In the brochures they tell people that possibilities are endless, and that with the course you are able to further your career to become a nurse or a social worker or you can just work as an assistant nurse. There is no such thing. The course is not registered with any health institution.
“This is not the first time we are raising the issue. It was raised last year after students went to universities and were rejected, and they went to apply for jobs and they were rejected. We have communicated with the college management but they have no answers for us,” said Kama.
Amanda Mazula from Crawford campus is doing her last year in primary health and says she is worried that next year she will be sitting at home without a job.
“We are not recognised by universities and other health organisations,” said Amanda Mazula from Crawford campus, who is in her last year in primary health care.
“People who have done home-based care are better than us and we are supposed to play the role of assistant nurses. They know how to test for infections, diabetes and high blood pressure and we can’t because we have never done it.”
“Many people who have graduated are now sitting at home and some are doing home-based care which is sad after doing three years. They are spending money on us giving us bursaries for what? So we can stay at home?” said Mazula
Another student who did not want to be named said she had been refused admission to university.
“I wanted to study nursing but because of my marks I could not get into university and I thought studying this would guarantee me a place to further my nursing studies after the three years. But that is not going to happen now because universities also do not recognise the course.
“We do not spend three years in college just to stay at home, we have dreams and there are people here who have families that rely on them,” she said
Students also complained about college rules that students must have 80% attendance and a 40% average for the year in order to write the final exams.
Zozo Siyengo, the Chief Director for Further Education and Training at the department, signed the memorandum and addressed the students.
“The issues that you have raised we are familiar with,” he said. “We will have to do whatever possible within our space to assist our students.”
The students have given the department seven days to respond to the memorandum.