Degree errors leave Unam graduates in limbo
More than 50 graduates from the University of Namibia’s (Unam) Rundu campus have reportedly been left frustrated and unable to apply for jobs due to errors on their degrees that have yet to be corrected.
Many of the students said they discovered the issue before their graduation ceremony, with some lamenting that their surnames had been misspelled or doubled on their degrees.
One of the affected graduates, Paulus Ndumba, told Namibian Sun that despite promptly returning the degrees for correction, they were informed that the corrections would only be done a week after graduation.
“They printed our qualifications, but there were mistakes with the names. Only 13 qualifications were sent back to date. Why is it that if we couldn't pay their fees, they would be disturbing us, but now that we don't owe them anything, they are not giving us our qualifications? They don't even know the date when they will send our qualifications. We are tired of waiting,” he said.
Can’t apply for jobs
Another graduate who preferred to remain anonymous said she has been unable to apply for jobs because she only has an academic record.
“Some regions accept academic records for job applications, but others do not. For instance, if you send an application to Kavango East or Kavango West or the Erongo Region, you might not hear back because they only accept degrees, not academic records,” she said.
“If we had been told it would take three months to get the corrected qualifications back, I wouldn't have handed mine in immediately. I would have made copies and declared that my degree had a printing error with my surname doubled, and waited for the correction. However, I gave it back, and they scratched out the error that same day. Now, even if I go back to the campus, my degree still has that double surname scratched out,” she said.
“Jobs are being posted, and although I qualify for them, I can't apply. I can't apply and my friends are also in the same situation. We are tired of applying and not getting any response. I'm not sure how many of us are affected, but according to a list I saw, there are more than 50 of us,” she added.
Priority
Rundu community activist Frans Moyo questioned why graduates have to be deprived of the benefits of their earned qualifications.
“Why should graduates who have worked hard for three to four years and paid their tuition fees from their parents' sacrifices be deprived of the benefits of their earned qualifications because of errors made by Unam employees who failed to perform their duties competently?
“We demand that the qualifications be printed correctly within a week. This is a priority and Unam must know how to prioritise what is urgent and important. Graduates have worked hard for these qualifications and their parents have sacrificed to pay for them. The qualifications are theirs and Unam must provide them correctly,” he said.
The university could not be reached for comment.
[email protected]
Many of the students said they discovered the issue before their graduation ceremony, with some lamenting that their surnames had been misspelled or doubled on their degrees.
One of the affected graduates, Paulus Ndumba, told Namibian Sun that despite promptly returning the degrees for correction, they were informed that the corrections would only be done a week after graduation.
“They printed our qualifications, but there were mistakes with the names. Only 13 qualifications were sent back to date. Why is it that if we couldn't pay their fees, they would be disturbing us, but now that we don't owe them anything, they are not giving us our qualifications? They don't even know the date when they will send our qualifications. We are tired of waiting,” he said.
Can’t apply for jobs
Another graduate who preferred to remain anonymous said she has been unable to apply for jobs because she only has an academic record.
“Some regions accept academic records for job applications, but others do not. For instance, if you send an application to Kavango East or Kavango West or the Erongo Region, you might not hear back because they only accept degrees, not academic records,” she said.
“If we had been told it would take three months to get the corrected qualifications back, I wouldn't have handed mine in immediately. I would have made copies and declared that my degree had a printing error with my surname doubled, and waited for the correction. However, I gave it back, and they scratched out the error that same day. Now, even if I go back to the campus, my degree still has that double surname scratched out,” she said.
“Jobs are being posted, and although I qualify for them, I can't apply. I can't apply and my friends are also in the same situation. We are tired of applying and not getting any response. I'm not sure how many of us are affected, but according to a list I saw, there are more than 50 of us,” she added.
Priority
Rundu community activist Frans Moyo questioned why graduates have to be deprived of the benefits of their earned qualifications.
“Why should graduates who have worked hard for three to four years and paid their tuition fees from their parents' sacrifices be deprived of the benefits of their earned qualifications because of errors made by Unam employees who failed to perform their duties competently?
“We demand that the qualifications be printed correctly within a week. This is a priority and Unam must know how to prioritise what is urgent and important. Graduates have worked hard for these qualifications and their parents have sacrificed to pay for them. The qualifications are theirs and Unam must provide them correctly,” he said.
The university could not be reached for comment.
[email protected]
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