The Namibia Qualifications Authority has once again warned students to be on the lookout for bogus institutions in Namibia.
This is in light of the recently-released grade 11 Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary level results
There are only 64 accredited institutions in Namibia, with an accreditation scope of 859 programmes.
Between January 2021 and January 2022, the NQA received 1 962 accreditation verification status enquiries from individuals in Namibia.
“With the commencement of the academic year, we once again advise prospective students to be vigilant of bogus institutions, and to make sure that they verify the accreditation status of both the institution and the course they wish to pursue before enrolment,” NQA spokesperson Absalom Absalom advised.
Bogus institutions are institutions which are not accredited by the NQA. Enrolling in these institutions will not bear any return on investment, and will likely end in disappointment for one since the qualification will be void and thus unusable.
Namibia has a large number of bogus institutions, and the NQA is unable to keep track of all of them because most operate their illegal transactions behind closed doors.
“Please be mindful that not all of these institutions are accredited and, therefore, the quality and standards of their programmes have not been verified,” he added.
The operation of these institutions is a result of the market and demand from students to enrol there.
Absalom said cases of students registering at these institutions has greatly dropped since most of them are now aware of their existence.
“The situation has greatly improved as more individuals are cognisant of the existence of unaccredited institutions. and the dangers thereof,” he noted.
There are, however, some students who are still unaware of such institutions.
“We still have a challenge of prospective students not verifying the accreditation status of institutions and qualifications prior to enrolling, even though the NQA offers this service for free,” he reiterated.
The general public should thus be aware that these institutions will continue to operate for as long as the general public permits such.
“The moment students stop registering at unaccredited institutions, they will inevitably cease to exist,” he stated.
According to the NQA Act, No. 29 of 1996, which is the legal framework within which the regulatory body operates, the accreditation of institutions by the NQA is not mandatory.
The NQA, on the other hand, does not take action until their name or logo has been utilised.
“In instances where institutions fraudulently use the NQA’s name or logo, action is lodged against the culprits, in collaboration with the Namibian Police,” said Absalom.
Students enrolled at an accredited institution can be assured that the institution has met all of the needed national quality standards, and that the qualifications they earn will be acknowledged by employers and other training providers.
“Students are able to move freely between accredited institutions and have their learning recognised or cross-credited. Conversely, studying at bogus or unaccredited institutions has significant and severe consequences for students. Primarily, any qualifications obtained will not be recognised for any purpose, be it for employment or further studies,” added Absalom.
The NQA website (www.namqa.org) provides a comprehensive list of all recognised Namibian institutions and the courses they are authorised to provide to prospective students.-rosemaryhaufiku5@gmail.com