Student registration system hit by tech glitches

By
TimesLIVE
-

BY SIPHO MABENA

Scores of students in the last-minute rush to secure space at the country’s universities and colleges have been unable to access the higher education and training department’s registration system as a result of technical glitches.

A long queue at UJ Kingsway campus on Monday. Image: Katharine Child ‏ @katjanechild via Twitter

The Central Applications System (CAS)‚ designed to assist students who have not been offered a place at an institution to which they have applied‚ experienced problems soon after it was launched on Friday.

Higher education spokesperson Matshepo Seedat said the department had received several reports from frustrated students.

“The deputy minister also received reports of the glitches‚ with some people tweeting him. We also received calls (on Tuesday afternoon) about the glitches. This is why the deputy minister is going to the centres to understand what issues are there and ensure that these issues are resolved‚” she said.

The system is expected to be under immense pressure following the agreement reached by Universities South Africa (USAF) and the department to allow walk-ins and late applications by prospective students. However‚ the organisation said queuing in the sun was not the recommended approach and referred applicants to the central online application system.

USAF CEO Ahmed Bawa said the organisation was not aware of the technical problems. USAF has said the system is a reliable means of ensuring that students are matched with available spaces.

-TimesLIVE

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

CAPTCHA ImageChange Image