UCT Vice-Chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng Gets Backlash For Reply To A Prospective Student About Getting In To The Institution. The University of Cape Town Vice-Chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng has been under fire for a statement she made on social media to a supposedly prospective learner.
The University of Cape Town Vice-Chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng has been under fire for a statement she made on social media to a supposedly prospective learner. In the statement the Vice-Chancellor told the student that she should go to an institution that would acknowledge her results. The conversation was part of a communication with parents of prospective students and prospective learners on her Instagram account on Sunday.
She also got questions from matric students asking her what they need to get so they could get admitted in the university and the procedures of the tertiary institution. One social media user asked if a person could get the chance of being admitted to the university with their grade 12 results. “Can you improve the chances of being accepted into UCT with your Grade 12 March, June, September and final report if your Grade 11 final report isn’t so great,” says the prospect student on Instagram. The Vice-Chancellor gave the student advice on her issue. “My suggestion is that you go to another university that wil accept your level of results. Don’t stress yourself,” says Mamokgethi Phakeng. The reply she gave the student was deleted by the University of Cape Town Vice-Chancellor.
However, the statement didn’t sit well with other social media users. One user says, “In what world is this response appropriate? Many potential students only meet their provisional requirements during their matric year – I don’t think you should be discouraging potential students so freely.” The Vice-Chancellor wrote a tweet in response to the Instagram. “Never glorify any varsity. Getting a diploma pass or not being admitted to UCT is not the end of the world. There’s many successful people who, like me, didn’t study at UCT and have done very well in their careers. If you don’t get accepted don’t think it’s the end, try something else,” says Mamokgethi Phakeng.
by Alexandra Ramaite
