News24 reports that as it embarked on a countrywide public awareness campaign, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) warned that bogus colleges were mushrooming up all over South Africa.  

It urged students and parents to first verify if institutions were registered with the department.  "The message to students is to verify if the private college, the programme they offer and the site or branch at which the programme is offered, and if the institution is accredited with the Quality Council (QC) and/or the Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) and/or the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO)," explained media liaison officer Lunga Ngqengelele.  "Students should also verify those institutions by looking for the certificate of registration from the department on the premises of the college.  The information on the certificate can be verified with the information on the registers which are available on the department's website," Ngqengelele added.  Students were also urged to look for the SETA or QTCO qualifications, or to contact the relevant SETA or QCTO directly.

• Read Ntwaagae Seleka’s report on this story in full at News24

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page