Educor colleges officially re-registered on ‘humanitarian grounds’

Four colleges owned by Educor that were deregistered more than a year ago have officially been re-registered.

Damelin, City Varsity, Icesa City Campus, and Lyceum College were deregistered in July last year for allegedly failing to provide financial statements and comply with regulations.

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This put into doubt the futures of tens of thousands of students and teachers across the country.

Educor institutions given grace

On Monday, the Department of Higher Education and Training’s Director-General, Nkosinathi Sishi told media the decision to re-register the institutions was made on “humanitarian grounds”.

“After consideration on humanitarian grounds by the minister of the consequences of the closure of the institutions, the minister took a decision that on humanitarian grounds the institution be re-registered,” Sithi told Jacaranda FM.

“Therefore, at this point in time, this institution is back in its operation.

“We demand compliance within specific timeframes that were provided for and in line with the laws of our country around the registration of institutions.”

Conditions of Educor’s reinstatement

In August, a department statement revealed Educor would be provisionally reinstated on several detailed conditions and clauses.

Conditions stated:

• Educor must fully comply with the Council on Higher Education (CHE) accreditation requirements before commencing any teaching and learning activities.

Compliance with these accreditation standards is imperative to ensure the quality and integrity of the educational programmess offered by Educor.

• Educor is required to submit comprehensive monthly reports to the department.

These reports must include, but are not limited to, detailed financial statements, student enrolment statistics, and progress updates on compliance with CHE accreditation standards.

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• The quarterly reports should particularly focus on the financial health of Educor.

The financial statements must demonstrate transparency and adherence to sound financial management practices. Any significant financial concerns must be reported immediately to the department.

• It is important to emphasise that the decision to provisionally reinstate Educor is made purely on humanitarian grounds, with the primary aim of minimising the disruption to the education and future prospects of the students currently enrolled.

• Furthermore, the provisional reinstatement does not in any way waive the department’s rights and powers entrusted to it in terms of the Higher Education Act or invalidate the legal proceedings that the parties were involved in.

• The Minister reserves the right to revoke this provisional reinstatement should Educor fail to adhere to the stipulated conditions or if any further non-compliance is detected.