Four private colleges deregistered by Higher Education Department

The Department of Higher Education and Training has cancelled the registration of four Educor institutions after failing to submit proof of their financial viability to the department.

Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Blade Nzimande, announced the deregistration of City Varsity (Pty) Ltd, Damelin (Pty) Ltd, Icesa City Campus (Pty) Ltd and Lyceum College (Pty) Ltd during a media briefing held in Pretoria on Tuesday.

Nzimande said the four private institutions failed to comply with the requirements of the 2016 Regulations for the Registration of Private Higher Education Institutions and the applicable sections of the Higher Education Act.

The new regulations outline the application process, requirements for registration, responsibility of an institution and the appeals procedure that must be followed by individuals or entities that wish to register a private higher education institution.

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Nzimande said the Educor institutions failed to submit their annual financial statements and tax clearance certificates for the 2021 and 2022 years as proof of their financial viability.

According to the Minister, the four institutions were required to lodge an appeal with him on or before 26 September 2023.

“They then requested an extension to 28 February 2024, and are now seeking a further extension. In addition to failing to submit evidence of their financial viability to the department, the four Educor brands can be deemed as dysfunctional and this is mainly measured against the daily complaints and grievances received from students, most of which remain unresolved,” he said.

The complaints include poor quality of teaching and learning; lack of proper administrative support; poorly qualified staff; corruption and bribery; lack of response for requests for refunds and lack of professionalism, according to sources.

“These complaints extend to the other brands such as INTEC College (Pty) Ltd and Damelin Correspondence College (Pty) Ltd, which fall under the jurisdiction of the Quality Council of Trades and Occupations (QCTO). The QCTO has not been able to restore stability within these two institutions and students continue to be exploited.

“These complaints also extend to the offering of the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA) accredited programmes. The SETAs have not been able to restore stability with the Educor institutions and students continue to be exploited,” Nzimande said.

He further stated that the Higher Education Quality Committee has withdrawn the accreditation of some programmes for City Varsity (Pty) Ltd, Damelin (Pty) Ltd and Lyceum College (Pty) Ltd.

Nzimande also revealed that some of the institutions’ sites have closed suddenly after failing to pay the rent, staff salaries and/or the municipality.

“On 08 January 2024, our Directorate: Registration of Private Colleges wrote to these four Educor institutions and requested them to respond to a list of allegations of corruption against them. To date, they have not responded.”

As a way forward, Nzimande said Educor will be given a period in which to phase out pipeline students and Educor would have to reimburse students where it is due.