VTDI sold us a fake degree

It may be good for us to address all discrepancies regarding accreditation once and for all. It is disheartening to see the attention being placed on institutions such as Hydel and Mico when I, too, have suffered the same fate.

I enrolled in a degree programme – Bachelor of Education in Applied Technology at the VTDI in 2012. Last November, about a week before the graduation ceremony, I was invited to a meeting with the executive director of the HEART Trust/NTA and other senior directors. They informed us, graduands and other past students of the same programme, that we would not receive degrees because the course is not accredited and that the institution had not sought permission from the University Council of Jamaica before starting the programme.

This situation has left us feeling robbed and cheated. For those of us employed in local high schools, we are unable to be paid at the degree level. Some of us are unable to get jobs because we did a degree that did not exist.

At the end of the graduation ceremony, we stood and watched as others collected their degrees and revelled in success. The situation is being treated lightly by the institution and is affecting our lives severely.

Source: jamaica-gleaner