Students at the University of South Africa (Unisa) started an online petition after the university reportedly imposed an admission requirement which required students to provide proof of employment to register for their Grade R Diploma course.
On Unisa’s website, it reads, “In addition, proof of employment in Grade R is required as per the Department of Basic Education requirement of the qualification”
Unisa has explained why proof of employment is a requirement for its Grade R Diploma course.
The reason why students have to submit their proof of employment is because the purpose of the Diploma is meant to cater to the needs of Grade R practitioners currently in the field.
This is because the Department of Basic Education requires teachers to obtain a Bachelor of Education degree in Foundation Phase (FP) Teaching if they want to teach from Grade R to 3.
Unisa said, “Students who apply for the Diploma Grade R Teaching are required to submit proof of employment since the purpose of the Diploma is to provide for the needs of Grade R practitioners currently in the field. This enables those who complete the Diploma in Grade R Teaching to have a good chance of employment in the public school sector”.
“The progression path from Grade R teaching is into FP teaching, for which the minimum qualification is a B Ed in FP Teaching. Since the qualification has a specific purpose it will only be offered for 5 years at Unisa, with the last intake of students in 2025” added Unisa.
The university added that the admission requirements have not changed and have always been visible on their website. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE QUALIFICATION.