Durban: The Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr. Mimmy Gondwe, has raised concerns over the impact of bogus colleges on the future of young people, emphasizing that these institutions deny students employment opportunities due to unrecognized qualifications from unregistered colleges.
According to South African Government News Agency, Dr. Gondwe’s remarks came during a two-day Bogus Colleges Awareness campaign held in Durban. KwaZulu-Natal, the region with the second-largest student concentration in the country after Gauteng, faces a significant challenge with the proliferation of unregistered private colleges and registered colleges offering unaccredited programs in the inner city.
Dr. Gondwe highlighted the financial and future career impact on students and their families, stating, “Some of the learners are the only hope for their families. Their parents invest in their education so that their child can be qualified and have a successful career… Now, if a learner studies via a bogus college, they are effectively robbed of an opportunity to gain a legitimate qualification and employment opportunities. It is also robbing the student and their parents of hard-earned money.”
The awareness campaign was a collaborative effort led by the Deputy Minister in partnership with the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, the Department of Employment and Labour, and the Department of Home Affairs. Cllr Nkosenhle Madlala, Chairperson of the eThekwini Municipality’s Governance and Human Capital Committee, emphasized the city’s responsibility as a university hub with institutions like UKZN, Durban University of Technology, Mangosuthu University of Technology, and several TVET and private colleges.
During the campaign, Dr. Gondwe and other stakeholders visited several private colleges in the Durban City Centre on Monty Naicker and West Street. While some colleges were found to be registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training, compliance issues were identified, and students expressed concerns about fee payments and lack of refunds. The Deputy Minister instructed departmental officials to assist affected students.
Dr. Gondwe reiterated the importance of private higher education institutions operating within legal parameters, ensuring that their operations are registered and their programs accredited by quality assurance bodies such as Umalusi, QCTO, and the Council on Higher Education.
The campaign is set to continue in the Durban CBD with further oversight of private higher education institutions scheduled for Thursday, 27 March.