Lerato Mbhiza
The DA says the decision to close four Educor Colleges is a blow to the private higher education sector and the party’s Shadow Minister of Higher Education Chantel King said these institutions are instrumental to filling the gap of access to higher education.
King said the deregistering of Lyceum College, Damelin, CityVarsity and Icesa City Campus, by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) after Educor’s failure to submit its 2020 and 2021 annual financial certificates and annual reports, as well as a host of other concerns, was causing students severe stress while also relegating its staff to unemployment lines.
“Educor’s demise must serve as a lesson to the Minister of Higher Education, Dr Blade Nzimande, and his Department to tackle similar concerns at public higher education and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to root out the precedent of flouting laws and rules without fear of consequence management. It also highlights the importance of reviewing the Higher Education Act to fully comply with the White Paper of Higher Education” said King.
Nzimande, announced the deregistration of City Varsity (Pty) Ltd, Damelin (Pty) Ltd, Icesa City Campus (Pty) Ltd and Lyceum College (Pty) Ltd during a media briefing held in Pretoria on Tuesday.
The four private institutions failed to comply with the requirements of the 2016 Regulations for the Registration of Private Higher Education Institutions and the applicable sections of the Higher Education Act, he said.
The new regulations outline the application process, requirements for registration, responsibility of an institution and the appeals procedure that must be followed by individuals or entities that wish to register a private higher education institution.
Further to this, the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the Council on Higher Education (CHE) is responsible for the accreditation of higher education programmes.
Nzimande said the Educor institutions failed to submit their annual financial statements and tax clearance certificates for the 2021 and 2022 years as proof of their financial viability.
According to the Minister, the four institutions were required to lodge an appeal with him on or before 26 September 2023.
“They then requested an extension to 28 February 2024, and are now seeking a further extension. In addition to failing to submit evidence of their financial viability to the department, 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,” Nzimande said.
The complaints against the private institutions include poor quality of teaching and learning; lack of proper administrative support; poorly qualified staff; corruption and bribery; lack of response for requests for refunds and lack of professionalism.
The students also complained about exploitation of poor students; non-payment of staff salaries; and under-payment of staff salaries.
“These complaints extend to the other brands such as INTEC College (Pty) Ltd and Damelin Correspondence College (Pty) Ltd, which fall under the jurisdiction of the Quality Council of Trades and Occupations (QCTO). The QCTO has not been able to restore stability within these two institutions and students continue to be exploited.
INSIDE POLITICS
