By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The National Qualifications Framework (NQF) partners – the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and Umalusi have emphasised the importance of verifying qualifications amid the battle to combat fraud.
They held a joint media briefing in Pretoria.
Umalusi CEO Dr Mafu Rakometsi warned that the prevalence of unregulated qualifications had the potential to create a fragmented education landscape in South Africa with significant implications for learners and the broader education system.
He noted that while the majority of schools comply with legislation, Umalusi continues to encounter illegal operators who promise “quick” matric certificates or shortcuts into the National Senior Certificate (NSC) system.
“Parents and learners must understand that only institutions registered with the provincial education departments and accredited by Umalusi may offer qualifications such as the NSC and NCV [National Certificate Vocational],” Rakometsi said.
In the higher education space, CHE CEO Dr Whitfield Green also cautioned against registering at “bogus institutions” – institutions that were not accredited to offer higher education qualifications, adding that their qualifications were not registered on the Higher Education Qualification sub-framework and on the NQF.
South Africa has 26 public universities and about 145 registered private high education institutions. Unregistered private colleges operating outside this system are illegal, and their qualifications have no standing.
Green urged prospective students to verify qualifications on:
• the SAQA website (NQF registration),
• the DHET Register of Private Higher Education Institutions, and
• the CHE’s official accreditation listings.
“There is no grey area. If it is not accredited by the CHE and not registered on the NQF, it is an illegitimate qualification,” Green said.
QCTO CEO Vijayen Naidoo noted that South Africa was transitioning from outdated pre-2009 qualifications to modern, occupational qualifications that were aligned with industry needs and the demands of today’s economy.
Naidoo issued a firm warning against institutions falsely claiming to offer occupational certificates or the historic “Red Seal” trade test.
“As opportunities grow in the occupational training space, so does the number of unaccredited and bogus institutions claiming to offer QCTO certificates. Let us be clear: a QCTO qualification is only valid if it is offered by a QCTO-accredited skills development provider and assessed through a QCTO-accredited trade test or assessment centre,” he said.
Naidoo said the QCTO currently has over 900 occupational qualifications and part qualifications registered on the NQF, all developed by industry and aimed at boosting employability and productivity in key sectors, including new and emerging occupations such as renewable energy, solar photovoltaic installation, and hybrid vehicle technologies.
CHE Communications Manager Ntokozo Bhengu made an appeal, highlighting the devastating effect bogus institutions have on families especially in rural areas.
“It saddens us when you find a student from a rural area whose parents had to sell livestock to pay for tuition, only to discover upon graduation that the qualification is not registered. The student has been duped and scammed, and the parents have lost money. By then, the kraal is empty. There is not a single cow left because they were trying to invest in the future of their child.
“We plead with the media to help us elevate the message and spread it across the country so that it reaches all students and parents to avoid this unnecessary pain and suffering,” Bhengu urged.