Primarashni Pillay gives some advice on choosing a tertiary education insitiution
Are you still in a dilemma over which higher education institution to study at next year? Here are some guidelines which will help you with your choice.
South Africa has 21 universities and 15 technikons, which are government funded. From 1994, several private and foreign institutions streamed into the country, offering degrees and diplomas.
Some of the courses are of good quality while others are believed to be of inferior quality and are not recognised by local or international universities. In some cases, the institutions may not be registered with the South African Department of Education and are labelled “fly-by-nights’.
Some students have had the misfortune of studying at such institutions, only to discover later that their so-called qualifications are useless, and they therefore cannot pursue postgraduate studies at local universities.
Even worse, they would have wasted their time and money on such institutions. In 1998 the Ministry of Education introduced legislation which governs the existence of foreign and private higher education institutions. All universities – local, foreign and private – have to register with the National Education Department. Their qualifications have to be registered with the South African Qualifications Authority and must be aligned with the National Qualifications Framework. The qualifications also have to be accredited by the Council on Higher Education.
There are some foreign and private institutions which comply with these requirements and are offering excellent courses. On the other side of the coin, there is a danger that some unregistered, unrecognised institutions might still be operating. Such institutions are a menace to society.
Before you make your decision on where to study, ask:
– Is the institution registered with the national Department of Education? Can the institution supply evidence of this? You are fully within your right to ask these questions of the institution as well as verify information supplied with the Department of Education in Pretoria. Registered private institutions are issued with a registration number by the Department of Education
– Are the institution’s qualifications recognised internationally? While some offer good courses, others may turn out to be fly-by-nights. Are professional qualifications accredited by local and overseas bodies?
– What partnerships does the institution have with overseas institutions?
– Does the university have student and staff exchanges with overseas institutions?
– How many “A-rated” scientists does the university have?
– What is the research output of the university?
– What is the academic staff:student ratio?
-If it is a foreign university, where is it ranked in its own country?
– How big is the institution’s library holdings? Does it have online access to international journals?
– The Teacher/M&G Media, Johannesburg, December 2001.