Bogus Varsity Hunting

Sunrise, E-Tv's morning news and what what program has been quite focused on the problem of bogus tertiary institutions in South Africa recently. Now, being a man who understands the importance of education and wanting to assist those who may be seeking alternative tertiary institutions because they couldn't get into any of the "major" varsities, I figured I'd write this (semi-tongue in cheek) piece. Enjoy:


So, you're looking to get into a tertiary institution to further your studies so you can find a job or work your way up from your current position. That's great, a desire to learn is the perfect place to start. That said, South African tertiary institutions have very limited space and resources, add to that, they can be quite expensive. So, here are a few tips on studying further in South Africa and avoiding the financial sinkhole that is the fly-by-night varsity:

1. Let me begin by taking a leaf from a church service I attended once (don't worry, this isn't going to turn into a sermon - this is not one of THOSE blogs). When it comes to varsity applications, live in faith. Do your research and select at least 3 well known institutions to apply to in ADVANCE of the closing dates, i.e. Wits, UJ, UWC, etc. The fact that you're only averaging 37% is irrelevant, who knows, the Department of Basic Education might just lower the university exemption mark to 35%, then we can have a 42% exemption rate.

2. Should point 1 above not pan out for you, you can look at "less mainstream" institutions like your Damelin, Boston Business College, etc., but again, do your research and use common sense. If you have to send your application to a Gmail account, this is probably a fly-by-night institution. If it's a Hotmail account, then it's DEFINITELY a fly-by-night. Report these people to the Department of Higher Education and Training immediately!

3. Find out if anyone you know has attended this institution. If possible, find out if anyone who has attended said institution has managed to find employment as anything other than a drug mule (refer to Drug Mule 101 for advice on this career choice).

4. Before handing over ANY money to this institution, find out where they're based. Go and visit this place, make sure it's not a spare room in someone's house. As the expert they had on Sunrise this morning said, "if they don't have basic equipment like white boards and chairs" it's probably a fly-by-night.

5. Still on the topic of money, if these people insist on being paid in unmarked, non-sequential R200 notes hand delivered to them in a non-descript black briefcase in the alley behind Game at 19:43 without any police accompaniment, then it's probably a fly-by-night - so be on your guard...or better yet, don't go to the "meet point". And call the police. Now!

6. So, youve found an institution and you probably have a pretty good idea of what you want to study and why. If not, I suggest you do some research. Once you know what field you're going into, make sure that the course/certificate/diploma/degree you're registering for is accredited. If you don't do this, you'll most likely find yourself with the equivalent of a matric certificate on your hands - in essence, you'll have forked out a couple of grand for a sheet of paper you could have printed at your local library. A good rule of thumb here, as per the Sunrise guest expert guy, is that you should bear in mind that a typical B.Com degree takes 3-4 years (for some 5, or 6...or even 7 years) to complete, so if someone is offering you a 6-month degree, say it with me now, it's probably a fly-by-night!

Great! Now that you have some basic pointers on what to look out for when applying for tertiary, it's time for you to get cracking. Should you require a bit more info on which institutions and courses are actually accredited, go to www.dhet.gov.za or call them on 0800 872 222. Good luck!