The start of the academic year presents the challenge of finding the appropriate schools for children.
With new schools opening ever so often, many parents have fallen victim to ‘fly-by-nights’ or waste money registering their children in schools that are not accredited.
There are a few ways to check the credentials of a school before you commit to sending your child.
Parents also have the right to ask the teachers and principals for proof of their qualifications and their registration with the South African Council of Educators (SACE), which every teacher in South Africa is obliged to be registered with.
Also read:
Ikage Independent School not registered says Department of Education
Parents can find a list of all registered schools on the department’s website (www.education.gpg.gov.za).
Take note of the following information:
• Name of the school
• Registration number (nine-digit number, starting with 700 – 700XXXXXX)
• School’s physical address
• Boarding facilities
• Effective date of operation
• Grades (Grade One to 12, for example).
With a private school, parents may interact or verify with the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa (Isasa).
Also read:
Great Foundation not registered with GDE
Parents can also get in touch with Umalusi.
According to their website, ‘Umalusi accredits private providers of education and training as well as private assessment bodies to offer tuition and/or assessment for qualification(s) on the General and Further Education and Training Qualifications Sub-Framework (GFETQSF)’.
This means that Umalusi accredits the following institutions:
Independent schools, Private Further Education and Training Colleges (FET Colleges), Private Adult Education and Training providers, Private assessment bodies that assess the qualifications Umalusi certifies.
Tertiary institutions:
1. Before registering with a private higher education institution, ask for evidence that the institution and its programmes are registered.
This is important because it is possible for a registered institution to have unregistered programmes/courses.
This evidence is the certificate of registration and the registration number issued by the Department of Education.
2. Before applying, make sure that the institution offers learning programmes and qualifications at the level at which you want to qualify.
3. Claims by an institution that it is offering internationally recognised higher education programmes, while not registered to operate in South Africa, are misleading.
No matter what curriculum the institution adopts, from any country, they still need to be registered with the Department of Education in order to operate in South Africa.
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