Nzimande warns students of bogus colleges

Low marks and desperation is behind students enrolling at bogus institutions, a higher education body has said, while Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande warned matrics to be mindful of unaccredited institutions swindling prospective students.

While thousands of matric students celebrated an historically high pass rate for 2019, not all could enrol at already full universities – especially if their marks didn’t meet the requirements, said Nola Payne, head of the ICT faculty at the Independent Institute of Education (IIE).

“Not only do prospective students need to make sure they go to accredited and registered colleges, but they must also make sure the qualifications they are taking on are accredited. The institutions themselves may be accredited but not necessarily that specific qualification,” said Payne.

Peter Kriel, general manager at the IIE, said to ensure an institution and qualification was above board, relevant checks were crucial.

“Unfortunately, many qualifications – even from respected universities – are not going to adequately prepare you for the world of work. Technology is constantly advancing, with new approaches and tools being incorporated into workplaces,” said Kriel.

INFO

Verify qualifications:

• SA has a register of all qualifications, managed by the SA Qualifications Authority (SAQA). This register is NQF.
• It has a credit value of 120 as a minimum, and is registered on the NQF with an NQF ID (sometimes called a SAQA ID).
• The shortest possible qualification is therefore normally one year as it takes about a year of study to do 120 credits. A degree is normally at least 360 credits. Without this, what you are studying is a short course and not a qualification.

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