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Question 1: The qualification I completed with DSBI is not on the list of programmes offered by Milpark Business School. What does this mean? Is there something wrong?
Answer: There is nothing wrong at all. The integration of DSBI programmes into Milpark Business School only affects higher education programmes that are accredited by the Higher Education Quality Committee.
If you are presently registered for or have completed a unit standard-based qualification or are a Further Education and Training (FET) student, you are not currently affected by the integration.
Your registration status with DSBI thus remains unchanged until Milpark Business School integrates FET provisioning into its offerings.
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Question 2: Will my result letter and certificate reflect both DSBI and Milpark Business School (MBS) if I did some of my credits with Damelin School of Banking & Insurance (DSBI) and the remaining credits through the Milpark Business School (MBS)?
Answer: No. Your certificate and letter of results will reflect either DSBI or the new business school, MBS. You can choose as an existing student whether you stay in DSBI or move immediately to MBS.
If you elect to stay with the DSBI brand: The result letter and certificate will reflect the institution you ultimately graduate from. If you complete your qualification within the time limits prescribed (in other words, before 31 December 2009) and you elect to graduate with a Damelin qualification, you will graduate with Damelin certification.
If you do not complete within the prescribed time period or if you choose to move to the MBS brand: If you do not complete the requirements for the qualification within the prescribed time, or if you elect to articulate onto the MBS programme, you will graduate with the same qualification but from MBS. This is our recommended route.
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Question 3: Is Milpark Business School internationally recognized?
Answer: All MBS qualifications are accredited by the Council on Higher Education's Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) and are registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) by SAQA. The HEQC has agreements with a number of other countries which also use national qualifications frameworks.
South African qualifications that are registered on the NQF are theoretically portable across countries. Should you wish to find out what your qualification is equivalent to in another country, you are advised to approach the accreditation agency in that country.
Countries that operate on the basis of an NQF include the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. In the United States, you will you have to approach the educational authorities in the particular state you will be going to.
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Question 4: Will my qualification be recognised by another institution if I want to further my studies?
Answer: Because the qualifications offered by MBS are accredited by the HEQC and registered on the NQF, both DSBI and MBS qualifications should be recognised for admission to qualifications offered by other institutions. Vertical and horizontal articulation is provided for by the NQF.
Articulation means that a module may be carried from one institution to another, subject to the differences between those institutions and the programmes they each offer. Articulation also means that a graduate from an NQF level 5 qualification may apply for access to a level 6 qualification and so on.
It is important to remember however that all higher education institutions, whether public universities or private institutions, are also entitled to set their own entrance requirements and do so.
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Question 5: Is MBS accredited to offer these programmes?
Answer: All Higher Education qualifications offered by DSBI have also been accredited by the HEQC and registered on the NQF with SAQA in the name of MBS.
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Question 6: Will the DSBI curriculum be different in MBS?
Answer: Nothing changes if you transfer your existing registration with DSBI to the same qualification with MBS. As the qualifications are the same, the rules for the successful completion of the qualification will stay the same.
However, all academic qualifications are updated regularly to ensure that they continue to provide relevant information, skills and knowledge to students. Your programmes will continue to be updated to ensure their quality in the way that they always have been.
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Question 7: Why is DSBI integrating into MBS?
Answer: The senior managers of the present DSBI have decided to integrate with MBS to focus more sharply on the needs of our students. Given the profile of our students, and the fact that most DSBI students are employed in the Financial Services sector, we believe that there are a number of niche needs which are best served by a dynamic business school.
As a business school, MBS will be able to offer close contact with developments in the disciplines of banking, insurance, management and leadership. Through its MBA programme, students and graduates, the school will also be able to maintain close contact with developments in broader industry.
As a focused, niche institution, MBS will thus be able to develop a range of offerings that specifically address the needs of students working at a particular level across a number of sectors. MBS will work to ensure high quality education that serves the academic and employability needs of its students. Finally, integrating with MBS will enable improved levels of BEE compliance, which is important for all sectors
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Question 8: Why should I move to MBS immediately?
Answer: In a teach-out arrangement such as is the case for DSBI, you have the right to graduate in the name of your registering institution (Damelin) should you choose to do so and should you complete the requirements for the qualification within the specified teach out period. However, you do also have the choice to articulate onto the same programme offered by MBS. This option may suit you better if:
- you think that you may not complete within the specified time period, or
- you want to give yourself flexibility and are worried about pressuring yourself to complete within the teach-out period, or
- you would prefer to have your qualification in the name of the new entity which will outlive the old entity (that is, Damelin's School of Banking and Insurance - when the teach-out is complete, DSBI closes),
- you wish to benefit from programme and student support enhancements appropriate to a Business School,
- MBS's name may represent more prestige in the working environment as a business school.
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Question 9: I still owe DSBI money. Can I still articulate to MBS?
Answer: Your entire history with DSBI will be transferred to MBS. Thus you will still be liable for the same fees with MBS as you were liable for with MBS. Outstanding fees will be managed in exactly the same way as they were managed by DSBI.
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Question 10: Will I still be able to get my results from the website?
Answer: Yes, you will still be able to retrieve your results from the DSBI website. The MBS website - with a link for DSBI students - will go live on 1 September 2008.
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Question 11: Will my username and password stay the same?
Answer: Yes, your profile will remain the same, with the same username and password.
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Question 12: What accreditation does MBS have?
Answer: As required in the higher Education sector, all MBS Higher Education qualifications have been accredited by the HEQC and are registered with SAQA on the NQF. The HEQC is the highest ETQA in South Africa. MBS is also a member of APPETD, ACPET and an accredited member of SABSA (South African Business School's Association).
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Question 13: Do the prices for the courses stay the same?
Answer: Yes, the fees that were due for DSBI courses are the same as the fees that will be due for the MBS courses. Clearly, however, standard annual increases will continue to apply as before.
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Question 14: What will happen to my qualification?
Answer: The purpose of the DSBI teach-out is to ensure that you are able to qualify with the qualification for which you first registered with DSBI with no prejudice to you.
Should you not complete your DSBI qualifications within the stipulated teach-out period, you will nonetheless be able to complete the qualification with MBS, assuming that you are still within the rules for the completion of the qualification.
Your qualification will be the same, the only difference will be whether you graduate from Damelin (in other words, you have completed the requirements for the qualification within the stipulated time period) or with MBS (in other words, you have transferred or articulated onto the MBS programme).
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Question 15: Will I have to pay to articulate to MBS?
Answer: There are no additional costs involved in the transfer or articulation to MBS. There are also no additional costs for the teach-out. The only costs involved will be those that would have been due anyway as a registered student of DSBI.
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Question 16: How do I apply to be an MBS student?
Answer: You will be sent a letter attached to which is an agreement. On this document, you will have to indicate that you have read and understood the terms of the teach-out and have decided to graduate in the DSBI name. If you do not wish to do so, you will automatically become an MBS student.
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Question 17: Do the HEQC, DoE, SAQA, INSETA and BANKSETA know that this is happening?
Answer: Yes, all the necessary regulatory and quality assurance bodies have been involved in the process. Teach-out schedules, numbers of students involved, copies of the communications with students and teach-out plans as well as interim reports are to be lodged with the HEQC and the Department of Education. The process has been, and will continue to be transparent so as to protect both the integrity of the process and your status as a student.
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Question 18: If I am a past graduate, will my DSBI qualification still have value?
Answer: A qualification that is / was registered on the NQF will always have value. All DSBI qualifications are registered on the NQF and have been accredited by the HEQC. In addition, if you are a past graduate of DSBI, MBS will retain all your study records for future reference.
Should you require any important information concerning the qualification you have completed, MBS will be able to draw this information for you. This relates to the credit value of the qualification, the curriculum for articulation purposes, the NQF level, a replacement certificate and so on.
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Question 19: Will Damelin still be offering banking and insurance?
Answer: No, once DSBI qualifications have been taught out, Damelin will no longer offer the DSBI banking and insurance qualifications.
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Question 20: Does the IOB know about this?
Answer: MBS and DSBI have and will continue to inform all sector stakeholders of the change. A number of them have already been informed and are supportive and excited at the prospect of the change, including the IOB.
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Question 21: Does BANKSETA/INSETA know about this?
Answer: Yes, both BANKSETA and INSETA have been informed of the DSBI teach-out and the integration with MBS as an independent provider of higher education.
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Question 22: How long will I have to complete my qualification?
Answer: Depending on the qualification for which you are registered, you will have a fixed amount of time in which to complete the qualification for which you registered with DSBI. However, you are still required to complete within the time stipulated for the qualification itself. The teach-out period is not additional time.
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Question 23: What will happen if I do not want to become an MBS student?
Answer: Nothing will happen. You are not required to become a MBS student if you are currently a DSBI student and choose to follow the teach-out track as long as you complete the qualification within the stipulated time period (i.e. before 31 December 2009).
Although MBS will administer and manage your studies, as long as you complete within the specified time period for your qualification, you will be able to graduate as a DSBI student. We do hope though that you see the immediate benefits of being associated with a Business School and that you decide to support MBS.
However, teach-out periods cannot be indefinite periods. They need to be limited and clear cut in order to ensure that all the existing students in an institution are able to be phased out.
If you have concerns about becoming an MBS student, we encourage you to address these with us and we will endeavour to assist you.
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Question 24: Will my employers still fund my studies?
Answer: Yes, given that MBS is an accredited provider and that the programme offering is the same as it was in DSBI, employers should still fund studies. Obviously, this is subject to the limitations that employers themselves may place on funding for staff studies.
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Question 25: Must I sign anything?
Answer: You are required to sign a teach-out agreement which will be posted to you if you elect to graduate with Damelin and are able to do so before 31 December 2009. You do not have to sign anything to become a Milpark Business School student.
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Question 26: Can I change my mind once I have elected to do one or the other?
Answer: If you choose the teach-out option, you may transfer at any time to the articulation to MBS option. However, once you have elected to articulate to MBS you may not return to DSBI. The reasons for this are regulatory. DSBI may not take on any new enrolments once teach-out is initiated. If students were to move back to DSBI, this would constitute a registration.
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Question 27: Will MBS always be able to see my DSBI results?
Answer: Yes, your DSBI results will be maintained and archived by MBS in terms of the teach-out undertaking that we have made to the DoE and to the HEQC. You will be able to pull a record of your results at any time in the future on completion of a formal request.
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Question 28: Would the credit value of a module and the contents of modules remain the same?
Answer: The credit value of a module is a relatively stable thing and would most likely remain the same for the duration of the teach-out. MBS will not make changes to the qualifications that would result in prejudice to students on the DSBI teach-out.
Content, however, is somewhat different. The content of modules - whether for DSBI or for MBS - is reviewed annually because the kind of courses we offer are subject to legislative and other changes and we need to assure ourselves and you that the content remains up to date and thus continues to be relevant and useful.
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Question 29: Do I still deal with the same people/staff?
Answer: Absolutely. In order to ensure as smooth a transition from DSBI to MBS as possible, you will still be dealing with the same people as you have always dealt with.
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