Q: How does a prospective student tell the difference between a private institution offering qualifications at the Further Education and Training (FET) level (NQF 2-4) and a higher education (HE) institution (NQF levels 5-8)?
Students have a right to know from the institution they intend registering with the level at which the programme they are interested in is pitched. Not all education done after Grade 12 is HE. You may be enrolling for a FET programme. HE programmes begin at level 5 on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) with a one-year 120-credits certificate.
Most private providers offer qualifications at NQF level 5 – that is, certificates and diplomas. Any programme that is less than 120 credits is not at a HE level.
Any claims to the contrary must be treated with suspicion. Moreover, the Department of Education (DoE) has indicated that, in future, the NQF level of all programmes accredited and registered in the name of each private provider will appear on the institution’s registration certificate. Before students enrol at a private institution, they must ask to see the DoE’s registration certificate. This will help students detect whether the programme they want to do is a legally registered programme and the level at which it is pitched, as well as whether the site of delivery they want to study at is a legally accredited one.
Q: Which body has the authority to accredit courses for the higher education sector: is it the DoE, SAQA, the HEQC, or the various Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas)?
All HE programmes must be accredited by the HEQC. A private institution that has not gone through this process will not have satisfied one of the requirements for registration. It will therefore not be eligible for registration by the DoE, and will be an illegal provider.
However, the HEQC may choose to delegate the evaluation to another quality assurance body, such as a professional council or Seta. But final responsibility for all quality assurance activities in South African higher education still rests with the HEQC.
SAQA’s role is not to accredit programmes. It did that on an interim basis between 1998 and 2001 before the official launch of the HEQC. SAQA plays an oversight role over the NQF.
Q: When a student enrols with one of these accredited private providers, they and their parents/guardians enter into a contract with that institution. What guidance can you give would-be students and their parents/guardians on the contracts that they enter into with these private providers for their studies?
In late 2002, we were alerted to the fact that there are private providers who:
(a) force students on admission to sign a financial contract for the proposed duration of the qualification, irrespective of completion of study. For example, if you entered into a contract for a three-year degree but only study for one year, you are contractually bound to pay for three years of study;
(b) source financial loans for disadvantaged students from micro-lenders, who then charge exorbitant interest rates with prohibitive administration costs. Although loans from micro-lenders give students access to higher education, it drains the meagre financial resources from these poor communities, thus accelerating poverty enslavement.
These practices clearly violate the spirit of HE and the socio-economic transformation of our country. Private providers are urged to benchmark their practices against those of public institutions, where students are expected to pay fees on a pro rata basis for attendance and/or completion.
We therefore wish to advise parents/guardians and students to guard against entering into long-term contracts with those among the private providers who are unscrupulous and are money-spinners. The culprits should be exposed to the DoE so that appropriate action can be taken.
Q: What message would you like to get out to school leavers and matriculants who intend to study further?
Should students wish to study further, it is important that they do research about the institution they wish to enrol at and the learning programmes they wish to enrol for. This applies whether you wish to study at a public or private institution. Most HE institutions have websites that you can visit. You might want to walk around the institution and find out from previous and current students about the quality of its academic staff, the infrastructure, the library facilities, the availability of staff for consultation with students.
It will be very sad for you to spend your parents’ hard-earned money, and then three years and R100 000 later find that you ended up with a qualification that has not equipped you with the skills that are required by the job market.