Hitch for SA teachers in Taiwan cleared up

SOUTH African teachers in Taiwan who graduated from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) breathed a sigh of relief yesterday after an impasse that had them worried about their jobs on the island.

Education authorities in Taiwan raised concerns about the institution not appearing on a list of universities on the official South African Department of Basic Education website.

The university does appear on other sites listing universities‚ including the Department of Higher Education and Training, but the sites were either flagged as being not secure or not ending in “.gov”.

Paul Andre and a group of other teachers alerted the Department of Basic Education, raising concerns that some teachers’ work permits would not be renewed.

“All CPUT qualified teachers in Taiwan‚ Asia‚ will be unemployed because the ministry of Education recognises only the universities mentioned on that list‚” he said in an e-mail.

The Department of Higher Education and Training’s deputy director-general of university education‚ Diane Parker‚ replied: “This is clearly an error on the website – we will follow up and ensure it is corrected.

“The Department of Higher Education and Training is responsible for all higher education in South Africa. We will also provide an official letter indicating it it’s a recognised, accredited institution if needed.”

Frank Shih‚ an official at the Taipei Liaison Office in Cape Town said the Department of Basic Education list was the one that was recognised.

Listings of accredited universities using the “.co.za” domain were not regarded as of the same weight as “.gov”.

The website was updated with the university’s details yesterday‚ and the Department of Higher Education and Training wrote a letter which can be submitted to officials in Taiwan‚ confirming that it is recognised as a “public higher education institution”. – TimesLIVE