The upgrading of the access cards was necessitated by the Systems Renewal project and will in the long run ensure a high level of data integrity across UP’s systems. The access card upgrade project is an extensive project that includes the replacement of access cards for 6,000 personnel, 30,000 contractors and more than 40,000 students.

The datasets that were tested as part of the data conversion process unfortunately did not disclose all the deficiencies /imperfections of the data.  Words containing characters like ü, ê, ë etc. were randomly replaced by special characters like *,@, & etc as part of the data conversion.  Consequently, errors have occurred in the printing of names and surnames for some students and personnel on the access cards. The error is being corrected and new cards will be printed.

Some students are also experiencing problems when they present their cards for identification during test or examination sessions. Personnel and invigilators are requested to accept the current cards with their imperfections until these can be exchanged after 25 February 2010. The student number (in small print) that appears on the card should rather be used as for identification purposes during this interim period.

We apologise for any inconvenience experienced and wish to thank you for your continued support in completing the access card upgrade project.

For further enquiries, please email [email protected]