Students, stay clear of ILLEGAL colleges

The Department of Higher Education and Training has asked students and parents to avoid illegal colleges and not enroll with them.

STUDENTS MUST AVOID BOGUS COLLEGES

Students and parents should investigate if these colleges are indeed registered with the Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas).

They can also check with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), or other relevant bodies before enrolling and paying fees.

Dr Blade Nzimande, the Department of Higher Education Minister, said their qualifications are only valid if these colleges are not registered with the relevant authorities.

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STUDENTS PARENTS MUST AVOID ILLEGAL COLLEGES

Nzimande said warns students and parents not to register with these illegal colleges.

“These institutions lure and mislead future students into believing that these colleges offer a qualification that is recognised by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).”

Blade Nzimande

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PARENTS AND STUDENTS MUST INVESTIGATE COLLEGES

The Minister said Illegal colleges offer compromised qualifications that are not recognised for employment purposes or to further studies.

The Minister said that the department has successfully shut down these illegal operators.

Nzimande says while the Higher Education Department may be hard at eliminating these illegal colleges, many students still register with them and are unlawfully granted fake qualifications.

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OVER 40 ILLEGAL COLLEGES CLOSED

“The number of illegal colleges has decreased tremendously over the years.

“The decrease can be attributed to our monitoring awareness campaigns and our collaboration with print and electronic media.”

Blade Nzimande

Nzimande added that the department works closely with law enforcement agencies to close down on these colleges.

The government has closed over 40 illegal private colleges over the past few years.

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PARENTS CHECK COLLEGE REGISTRATION

He advises students who want further their education and enroll at private colleges to check the registration status of that particular institution.

Students and their parents can contact the department through its toll-free number on, 0800-872-222 to make sure the institution is not illegal,

They can log on to the department’s website, where the ‘Register of Private Colleges’ is published and updated regularly.

The website address is www.dhet.gov.za/resources/registers.