Education Investment Corporation Limited (Educor) group, which runs four recently deregistered colleges in South Africa, has expressed surprise at the Department of Higher Education and Training's decision to deregister four colleges. The decision was made after Educor and its colleges had yet to issue audited financial statements to the government, including tax clearance certificates since 2020. This was a requirement for accreditation, and the department decided to deregister four private colleges.
The group is currently pursuing an appeal process with the Department of Higher Education and Training and considering their legal position with the assistance of their attorneys. The Higher Education Department urged affected students to transfer to other institutions, and the process will affect over 13,000 students registered at over 10 Educor campuses across South Africa. Educor has also been ordered to reimburse students, and if this fails, students are urged to seek legal action.
Alternative allegations the institutions face include poorly qualified staff, corruption and bribery, lack of response to refund requests, and non-payment of staff salaries. The SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) welcomed the decision to revoke the licenses of the institutions, as they have been fighting for students and affected lecturers who last year spent months without being paid their salaries.
Educor started paying its employees last month due to pressure from the department, and most lecturers at Damelin College were employed permanently before COVID-19. During Covid-19, they were retrenched and immediately rehired, but this time on fixed-term contracts. This violation of Section 198B of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) allows employees on fixed-term contracts to be deemed permanent if the contracts are extended longer than three months.
Distance learning students affected by the Educor deregistration will receive support from Oxbridge Academy, the distance learning division of JSE-listed ADvTECH. Marketing manager Siyavuya Makubalo said ADvTECH's support for distance learners will welcome relief to affected students, ensuring no student is left behind.
