Minister Nzimande confirms deregistration of four Educor colleges

The minister for Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande held a press a briefing in Pretoria on Tuesday, to clarify his department’s decision.

“Firstly, they failed to fulfil the requirements for registration, as contemplated in section 57(2)(b) of the act; secondly they failed to discharge their responsibilities as required by Chapter 6 of the regulations; in particular, Educor institutions have failed to submit their financial statements and tax clearance certificates for the 2021 and 2022 years.”

The institutions have had various allegations levelled against them, including complaints about the quality of education they are providing and the non-payment of staff.

“The four Educor brands can be deemed as dysfunctional, and this is mainly measured against the daily complaints and grievances received from students – most of which remain unresolved.

“One of the complaints I remember receiving was that students were given marks for exam scripts that were never marked because lecturers were no longer at work because they were not being paid. That’s the worst sin that can be committed by a tertiary institution whether public or private.”

Minister Nzimande says the colleges have been given until the end of the year to phase out current enrolled students and may not take in any more students.

He says the department is willing to assist in helping the affected students, many of whom will need to find new learning institutions where they can complete their studies.

“Any institution that has been notified by the Registrar or whose provisional registration has been cancelled, must inform its students within 14 days, and reimburse any enrolled student who has a lawful claim on the institution as a consequence of its seizing to operate.

“…make adequate arrangements for affected students to complete their programs at comparable private or public institution. That’s where we said we are willing to help in the identification of such, not to do it for them but help in the identifying of these.”

According to its website, Educor is the largest private education provider in Southern Africa.

However, Nzimande also revealed that Educor may have misrepresented its student numbers.

“Educor claims to have 50,000 students on their system. This information is incorrect since the 2022 annual reports indicate the breakdown of student enrolment as follows: City Varsity had 540; Damelin 4, 012; Icesa City Campus145; Lyceum College 8,399– in total that was 13, 096 – not the 50,000 they were claiming.”

At the same time, education activist Hendrick Makaneta says the department waited too long before sounding the alarm on the challenges at Educor.

“Government is not proactive; in most cases, they wait for something to happen before they can react. It looks like there is no proper coordination because students register with institutions that are not registered [with the department]. It's only after losing money and reporting to authorities that they follow up.”

Makaneta says the government should do more to inform the public about non-compliant institutions, adding that in the case of Damelin – which is a reputable brand that has been in existence for decades – it would not have been obvious to prospective students that there may have been challenges leading to their deregistration.

Additional reporting by Celumusa Zulu

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