Question NW2531 to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation
18 September 2023 - NW2531
Zungula, Mr V to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation
(1)What is the total number of illegal institutions of higher learning that have been (a) identified and (b) closed down by his department because they were (i) operating without being registered with (aa) his department, (bb) the sector education and training authorities and/or (cc) other relevant bodies and (ii) defrauding parents and learners while offering them fake qualifications that are not registered on the National Qualifications Framework in the past financial year; (2) how does his department ensure that every institution of higher learning (a) meets the minimum requirements and (b) is registered to provide education and genuine qualifications to students?
Reply:
(1) (a) My Department, which is the Department of Higher Education and Training, has identified nine (9) illegal institutions of higher learning in the past financial year and (b) all 9 of them were closed down because they were (i) (aa) operating without registration with the Department as either Private Higher Education Institutions in terms of the Higher Education (HE) Act 101 of 1997 or Private Colleges as required by the Continuing Education and Training (CET) Act 16 of 2006, (bb) neither were they accredited by the Sector Education and Training Authorities and / or accredited by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations in its capacity as the custodian of Occupational Qualifications on the Occupational Qualifications Sub-Framework.
(ii) The nine institutions were defrauding parents and learners while offering qualifications without registration by the Department and/or without accreditation by the Quality Councils such as the Council on Higher Education, the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations and Umalusi.
(2) The Department has a dedicated Directorate which ensures that private institutions of higher learning are registered with the Department and meet the minimum requirements for registration as set out in both the HE Act and the CET Act and their attendant Regulations. This Directorate works very closely with the Quality Councils mentioned herein to ensure that private institutions are accredited for the qualifications they propose to offer and that the qualifications are registered on the National Qualifications Framework managed by the South African Qualifications Authority. To ensure that parents and students do not fall prey to unregistered and/or unaccredited private institutions, the Department, through its Career Development Services and in conjunction with the Quality Councils, consistently embarks on campaigns such as KHETA – Apply Now, Nelson Mandela Career Guidance Day and others to raise awareness among the parents and students on what they must look out for before they enrol at private institutions.