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‘I don’t understand why this is my fault’: Backtracking frustrates student nurses

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 Nurses do their morning rounds at a ward in Tshepong Hospital.  Picture: Muntu Vilakazi
Nurses do their morning rounds at a ward in Tshepong Hospital. Picture: Muntu Vilakazi

Lulama Xhanga* is among 62 nursing students who could be expelled by an Eastern Cape government nursing college for being “unqualified” to study there.

This is despite the government having paid more than R72 000 for her four-year course at Lilitha College of Nursing last year.

Xhanga has been funded by the Eastern Cape health department to study at one of the college’s campuses.

There are five campuses – in East London, Lusikisiki, Port Elizabeth, Mthatha and Queenstown.

Xhanga applied for the nursing course in 2017 and was admitted.

The government has been paying her R4 300 stipend monthly and covered her tuition fees.

“I don’t understand why this is my fault. I applied and I enrolled. This shouldn’t be my problem? How are they going to have any recourse for us for the wasted year and time?” she asked.

According to a letter she received from a health department official in April, she was warned of a pending investigation into her admission to the course.

“As you may be aware there are some administrative errors that occurred during admissions of the nursing students in the 2018 intake.

“As a consequence, an investigation was conducted, the outcomes of which indicated a number of students were identified as having been admitted, despite not meeting the minimum admission requirements,” the letter said.

It said that Xhanga fell short of the admission performance points (APS) by a few points.

She was warned the matter had been taken to court by the college and that there was a possibility, following the outcome of the court process, that her admission would be terminated.

Eastern Cape health department spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo confirmed the investigation into the admissions.

He said five officials were facing a disciplinary action after they were implicated in wrongdoing.

Kupelo said they had entered into a contract with affected students, which resulted in the department paying a R6 000 once-off book fee and a monthly stipend of R4 300.

“This includes a uniform allowance and an accommodation allowance.

“In terms of the contract, funding is withheld when a student does not progress to the next level and it is reinstated once they pass the repeated subject,” Kupelo said.

According to the APS, a student for the four-year course had to score a minimum of 18 points calculated from allowable subjects, which include level four in biology or life sciences and level three in English.

He said anyone who did not meet the requirements would not be admitted to the course.

Kupelo said the affected students were incorrectly admitted to the four-year diploma last year because they did not meet the criteria in terms of the student admissions policy of the college.

“The error was first discovered at the East London campus.

“The campus immediately excluded the students but the students took the matter to court.

“The court ruled that the college was procedurally unfair to expel the students without affording them an opportunity to make written representations on why they should not be expelled. It ordered that the college does this.

“We are concluding the case and the students are still in class pending the finalisation of the process,” Kupelo said.

After discovering that the first 10 affected students in East London were irregularly admitted, Kupelo said the college management reported the matter to Dr Thobile Mbengashe, the head of the Eastern Cape health department.

He ordered that last year’s admissions at the other four campuses – Queenstown, Port Elizabeth, Mthatha and Lusikisiki campuses – be investigated.

“That is where the other 50 students were identified as having been irregularly admitted. This investigation was completed towards the end of last year,” Kupelo said.

*Not her real name

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