They had the ability to work independently on their own projects, just not the team projects. Also, the post screams impostor syndrome, so it’s likely their “inability to work independently” claim is exaggerated.

You’re right, we don’t have the full details, but this sounds like a team problem to me. I also believe that when a student fails, this is the fault of the teacher, not the student. It seems likely they weren’t getting the support they needed.