Mail & Guardian reports that the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has assured students that the qualifications they have obtained from Educor’s private institutions are valid.

“The qualifications issued or obtained during the period of registration and the phase-out period, remain valid and recognised,” said DHET spokesperson, Vali Mbele last week. The assurance was confirmed by the SA Qualifications Authority (SAQA). On 22 March, the DHET issued a statement in the Government Gazette announcing that the department had decided to deregister Damelin, CityVarsity, Icesa City Campus and Lyceum College as private higher learning institutes for failure to submit audited financial statements, including tax clearance certificates, since 2020. The four are owned by private education provider Educor. Following the announcement, DHET Minister Blade Nzimande slammed Educor for its “gross governance and compliance failures”, which have left 13,000 students in limbo. The department has, however, given the four colleges until December to “conclude the remaining examinations or assessments for the remainder of the current academic year”. The SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), which has been advocating for labour practices at the four colleges, called for the DHET to “nationalise” the Educor institutions. “The department must nationalise these colleges and absorb the workers permanently,” SAFTU said in a statement.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Umamah Bakharia at Mail & Guardian

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