Question NW728 to the Minister of Higher Education and Training
05 April 2016 - NW728
Kwankwa, Mr NL to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training
Whether, with reference to CIDA City Campus, a tertiary institution that provides virtually free education to students from financially disadvantaged and academically deprived communities, his department has taken steps to assist the approximately 500 students who have been left without a place to study, after the closure of the institution due to the liquidation thereof; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
CIDA City Campus NPC was registered as a private higher education institution until its liquidation in 2015. Students enter into a private contractual agreement with institutions and full knowledge that in the event of closure, they would have to seek alternate means to complete their studies. Whereas public universities are funded by the state, private higher education institutions are privately funded and the responsibility for attending to pipeline students in the face of closure resides with the Directors of the company as per the Regulations for the Registration of Private Higher Education Institutions, 2002.
Since CIDA City Campus NPC was liquidated, the liquidators that is Tshwane Trust Company, was responsible for assisting pipeline students. In this regard, every student was provided with their academic transcript and where students did not collect their transcripts, it was sent to the Department for safekeeping and future collection.
The Department assists / has assisted in the following ways:
a) Referred students to other private institutions such as Milpark Education (Pty) Ltd, Boston City Campus (Pty) Ltd and University of Johannesburg, through the CIDA Empowerment Trust. These are the institutions that offer similar qualifications to those that were offered by Cida City Campus;
b) Administers the remaining certificates and academic transcripts still to be collected by students; and
c) Refers students to appropriate institutions of higher learning. In the case of public universities, the students are advised to apply for financial assistance from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.
The responsibility lies with the student to apply to an alternative institution and present their academic transcript for consideration and recognition of credits already earned. The Department assists in providing support and details on equivalence of qualifications.
Compiler/Contact Persons:
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DIRECTOR – GENERAL
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QUESTION 728 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED
Dr BE NZIMANDE, MP
MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING
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