With the beginning of the year marking the release of the matric results and first-year enrollments at tertiary institutions, many parents and youths fall prey to unscrupulous bogus universities taking advantage of their desperation for an education.
A visit to areas like Braamfontein – home to Wits University – and a number of primary and high schools and other higher education institutions, paints a picture of how big a business education in South Africa is, especially for those cashing in on potential students with no place to go and are desperate to get an education.
Spaces in the top tier universities is always limited and many applicants end up being rejected because they cannot be accommodated. In such cases, private colleges become the next option, but unfortunately, many are unaware that some so-called institutions are bogus and are not registered with the Department of Higher Education and therefore, any qualification obtained from these places is invalid.
This leads to thousands of rands, often obtained via loans, selling of goods and other desperate measures, ending up down the drain along with the dreams of young South Africans.
If you’re not sure whether an institution is indeed legit, you can look at the below list, compiled by the Higher Education department, of private colleges that are registered.
A simple “registration number” or the department’s logo is not sufficient enough as confirmation, so one must be very thorough in making sure.
Click on the link to open the PDF document. REGISTER OF PRIVATE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS 13December 16
Listed fake colleges
The department also has a list of colleges that have been exposed as bogus and are a no-go zone. The list is from two years and it’s very likely that more have been added. See post below.
Check with SAQA
The other way to cross check if a college is legit is through the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) an entity which reports to the Higher Education department and is responsible for accrediting qualifications.
You can check with them by visiting the SAQA website.
