Higher Education department cracks down on illegal colleges

On Tuesday morning, two institutions - the "Must Varsity" as well as the "Maritime Business and Computer College"  - both in the Durban CBD, were exposed as being unregistered with the department. 

It was also discovered that the institutions were offering unaccredited diplomas. 

Director of the Private Higher Education Institution,  Dr Shaheeda Essack, said the department plans to crack down on more of these phoney institutions. 

Essack urged students to check the credentials of the institution they apply to. 

She also warned people to tread carefully - especially around online education, adding that fake online universities’ websites were “appealing” and gave the impression that the institutions were genuine.

"The moment they know we are investigating and we begin to charge them, they shut down very quickly. And there are those few that get registered with the department," she said.

Essack added that many students have sadly fallen victim to the schemes, earning qualifications that are not recognised by employers or the department.

"We've had successes where students were able to get back a lot of their money. It's never too late, and we advise students to approach a credible institution, and to complete their studies there. Because there's nothing else going forward - what else will they do?"

Private higher education institutions and Further Education and Training (FET) colleges are by law required to be registered with the department before they are able to operate.