Parents of students who attended Damelin College at the Braamfontein campus, an educational institution under the jurisdiction of the Educor, allege that the institution defrauded them.
This came after the college allegedly refused to refund them following the institution’s deregistration by former higher education and training minister Dr Blade Nzimande.
Nzimande deregistered Educor institutions due to failure to submit their annual financial statements and tax clearance certificates for the 2021 and 2022 years as proof of their financial viability.Â
However, recently the department announced that all of Educor’s educational institutions should be reopened, with no administrative requirements other than the submission of continuous, monthly reports for a period of six months, according to the department.
This came after the restoration of registration by the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane.
Re-registration with limitations
The four Educor-owned higher education institutions — Damelin, City Varsity, ICESA City Campus, and Lyceum — were permitted to re-register with some limitations.
Selloane Maseko, a mother to one of the students who was studying information technology at the Damelin, Braamfontein campus, said before the minister announced that the institutions were deregistered, she heard that the school’s computers were attached.
Maseko told Sunday World that she paid about R35 000 because she wanted to be ahead of the monthly installments.
“To ensure my child’s education, I paid that amount upfront because the course was R46 000 annually,” said Maseko.
“When the minister deregistered them, I went there to request my refund, and they promised we would be paid.
“They have since changed the tune and are saying we are breaching a contract, so there won’t be a refund.”
Maseko alleged that Educor has been avoiding their calls.
“When we call them, they take us from pillar to post. The institution has frustrated us; our children are frustrated and are sitting at home with no hope for a better future.
“I feel scammed. I wasted my money, and my child spent yet another year not doing anything to better his life.”
I am done with private colleges
Another parent, who wanted to remain anonymous, said they blame the government for the limited space in public institutions because they would not have to resort to private education.
“This is a hard thing to experience, both as a parent and a student. I am done with private colleges,” said the parent.
“Damelin was good back in the day. I do not know what went wrong. Maybe there is a new management that changed everything. All we want is our refund because they failed to give our children an education.”
The department’s director-general, Nkosinathi Sishi, said despite being allowed to fully reopen, the educator is still expected to provide monthly reports and financial statements for six months.
“What we are concerned about is a simple compliance issue. They now have a provisional permit to operate, and we will review it after six months,” said Sishi.
Educor had not responded to Sunday World’s questions by the time of publication. The company’s response will be included in the story when it does so.
