- The Department of Higher Education has clarified the validity of qualifications from deregistered institutions.
- Minister Blade Nzimande is set to cancel the registration of City Varsity, Damelin, Icesa City Campus, and Lyceum College.
- The four Educor colleges are still obliged to give their students their qualifications while they are being deregistered.
South Africa’s tertiary institution landscape has been rocked in recent weeks following the revelations regarding Educor and four of the college networks that it operates locally set to be deregistered.
The four colleges in question are City Varsity, Damelin, Icesa City Campus, and Lyceum College.
It means many students are being left in the lurch and while government has been making assurances that they will not be left behind by the system, there are still more questions than answers at this stage.
In an effort to address this, Minister of Higher Education Dr. Blade Nzimande, held a press briefing to unpack recent developments and what the process of deregistering the colleges will entail. The minister also explained what it means for students still studying or those who have worked towards completing their respective qualification or certificate.
To that end he confirmed that qualifications issued or obtained during the period of registration and during the phase-out period would remain valid and recognised.
“This means that the four Educor colleges — City Varsity (Pty) Ltd, Damelin (Pty) Ltd, Icesa City Campus (Pty) Ltd and Lyceum College (Pty) Ltd — still have an obligation to award the students their qualifications during the period of registration and during the phase out period,” he noted in a statement.
Nzimande also pointed out that the same assurances were confirmed by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). “The four Educor colleges are also required to ensure that they conclude the remaining examinations or assessments for the remainder of the current academic year,” the minister added.
Given the dire situation that many of these colleges find themselves in, it remains to be seen if they will indeed stick to their responsibilities for students who have been paying tuition.
For now, however, government is monitoring the situation and offered some sort of respite for students at the aforementioned deregistered institutions.
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