Matriculants preparing to start their studies at tertiary institutions next year are encouraged to be on alert of bogus institutes. This follows incidents in the previous years of students swindled by scammers.
“The student journey specifically has over the past few years become a lucrative new source of potential victims for scammers, which is why young people need to be alert to bad actors these next few months. Bogus colleges prey on the desperation of students who did not secure a spot at their preferred institution of higher learning, or those with limited financial means,” said Adrian Garden, acting Dean of Academics at the Independent Institute of Education’s Rosebank College.
“Signing up with a bogus institution means that you will waste time and money, with nothing to show for your efforts.”
He has advised potential students to ensure they check private colleges are registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET), private higher education provider register on their website, as well as with the Council for Higher Education and Training (CHE).
“Any credible campus must be able to show you a certificate to that effect, which details the campus, provider and qualifications. Higher education qualifications need to be accredited by the Higher Education Quality Committee of the Council on Higher Education. If they are not accredited, they will not appear on the certificate referred to above. All qualifications must be registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) by the South African Qualifications Authority (Saqa) and students should ask for the Saqa NQF identity numbers,” said Garden.
