Beware of fly-by-night colleges

The beginning of the year marks the beginning of the academic year, as higher education institutions open their doors to new students. As you or someone you know prepares to study at one of these institutions, keep in mind that not all of them are legal.

The Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Dr Blade Nzimande, has warned students and parents to be wary of illegal or fly-by-night colleges.

The fly-by-night colleges are not registered as educational institutions with the appropriate Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), or other appropriate bodies.

“These institutions lure and mislead future students into believing that these colleges offer qualification that are recognised by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA),” said Nzimande.

The minister added, “These illegal colleges offer compromised qualifications which are not recognised for employment purposes or for further studying.”

According to the minister, the department has been successful in shutting down these illegal institutions. While the department is working hard to eliminate these unregistered colleges, many students continue to register and are unlawfully granted these fake qualifications.

“The number of colleges that are operating illegally has decreased tremendously over the years. The decrease can be attributed to our monitoring awareness campaigns and our collaboration with both print and electronic media,” said Nzimande.

The minister also stated that the department is collaborating with law enforcement agencies to shut down these colleges.

Minister Nzimande advises students interested in enrolling in private colleges to contact the department at 0800-872-222 to check the registration status of such private colleges.

Students can also visit the department’s website, where the ‘Register of Private Colleges’ is published and updated on a regular basis. The website address is: www.dhet.gov.za/resources/registers.