OVER 200 former students of Mufulira Professional College on the Copperbelt are up in arms with the institution for holding on to their diplomas for three years now.
The former students have complained to #Kalemba that despite completing and passing their courses in 2019, the college has refused to hand them their diplomas.
“We are unable to apply for jobs despite having completed our studies because the college won’t give us our diplomas, they have been giving us excuse after excuse,” one former student explained.
Another student said the College has informed them that their diplomas can only be given during a graduation ceremony whose fee has been pegged at K1,500.
The former students said some of them had paid the K1,500 graduation fee but still had not been given their diplomas.
“I had been paying my tuition fees, I have paid my graduation fee and I don’t owe them anything so how can they refuse to give me my diploma just because another person has not paid – is that even fair,” asked another former student.
The students have since appealed Education authorities to intervene in the matter and force the college to give them their diplomas.
When contacted, Mufulira Professional College principal Albert Chinyemba confirmed that the institution was holding on to the diplomas of 238 former students who completed their studies in 2019.
Chinyemba said the institution had been trying to get the students to pay the K1,500 graduation fee but that only 101 had paid so far.
He said a diploma could not be handed over to someone in an office but could only be conferred on them in a ceremony with the Vice-Chancellor among other dignitaries in attendance.
The Principal said if giving out a diploma to someone who had completed their studies was that easy, the situation would have not gotten this far.
Chinyemba said students were earmarked to have graduated last year but that could not happen because the institution needed to order logistical materials from the United Kingdom.
However, he promised that the graduation ceremony would happen if at least 200 students paid the K1,500 graduation fee.
Kalemba June 3, 2021