UCT's Graduate School of Business (GSB) is one of five business schools to have received full accreditation from the Centre for Higher Education (CHE) in its recent MBA re-accreditation process.

According to GSB director Professor Frank Horwitz, the process can only strengthen the value of the MBA.

"In the face of the proliferation of MBAs in the country, many of which do not meet the standards set by leading business schools, the exercise has created a necessary benchmark, allowing us to move forward in a more positive light."

For Horwitz, the fact that there are five MBA programmes in South Africa that have been allowed to continue with full accreditation from the CHE is a positive development.

"It is worth pointing out that two of these top five (UCT and Stellenbosch Business School) also have international accreditation from the European Foundation for Management Development."

Responding to media reports that many top MBAs may be worthless, Horwitz pointed out that such articles do not do justice to the well-established brands and reputations of the country's leading business schools.

"Certainly in our experience at the GSB, we see our graduates go on to add value to the economy in a number of ways and to manage and successfully lead in increasingly complex business environments."

In addition, Horwitz said the high regard with which international business schools view the top South African schools is another factor mitigating the worthlessness claims.

"There is no doubt that the CHE re-accreditation process has been a wake-up call for business schools. While it will ensure that the high standards of top schools like the GSB will be maintained, it has also sounded a warning to leading schools that anything less than best will not be acceptable.

"Accordingly, we need to keep the emphasis on high standards, maintaining a rigorous selection process for our students and making sure that our curricula remain fresh and relevant."

Horwitz added that it was imperative to listen to the feedback provided by CHE as business schools needed to think more creatively about their role in South Africa.