Qualifications authority, DHET crack down on bogus colleges

On Tuesday, the two departments carried out a Bogus Colleges Awareness Campaign in the City of Tshwane, visiting three colleges as part of the initiative.

SAQA spokesperson Rakgwatha Mokou said the colleges were issued warnings and given until next week to ensure their records are in order, or they could face closure.

Mokou highlighted that this nationwide effort revealed persistent issues with unregistered providers offering so-called “in-house” programmes that are neither quality assured nor recognised on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

He emphasized the importance of parents and students verifying that any qualifications are registered on the NQF before enrolling, as it becomes difficult to pursue institutions whose owners sometimes disappear.

"So we ensure that at all times we use every platform we have to educate the parents and students to firstly verify that qualifications are registered on the NQF. And that they must confirm that private institutions are registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training," Mokou said.