Private higher education institutions must stand up against bogus colleges.
The silence of the private colleges operating within the law, which are operating in full compliance with government, has been loudly deafening in our fight against bogus colleges.
The fight that we have started as the department of higher education and training last year against these Colleges, should not be seen as a government fight in protection of the vulnerable citizens who get hoodwinked by these institutions only, but it also a fight to clean up the system of private education providers that has been dirtied by these rogue elements within the sector. This fight is meant to ensure that the private higher education institutions, and the private education system as a whole restores its integrity, trustworthiness and image.
The more prospective students cannot differentiate between a legitimate and a bogus college in Braamfontein in Johannesburg and Berea in Durban or anywhere else that affects the whole private higher education sector. As it stands now, and as we continue to intensify our work in exposing, criminally charging and shutting down these Colleges across the country, is the more people are starting to take a dim view on the reputation of private higher education provision as a whole.
The more society (as it begins to) wakes up to this ravaging scourge, is the more collective punishment to the entire private higher education sector would be unavoidable. And it is not our duty to plead their case as legitimate except themselves on their education business.
We have called for the society as a whole to own up to this clean-up campaign. But where are the private higher education institution’s providers in this campaign? As government we expect them to stand up and join the clean up by saying “not in our name” collectively. The silence so far, the act of retreat to the shell like a snail, is so palpable and by so doing, they are in dereliction of duty. From where we are sitting as government, this is a serious indictment to these legitimate providers and it tarnish their image even more.