WINDHOEK – With so many students expected to further their studies once their Grade 12 results are released in a week’s time, the Southern Business School Namibia has advised such aspiring students to first do painstaking homework and ensure that the academic institutions they want to enrol with are recognised by the Namibian Qualifications Authority (NQA) to avoid being swindled off huge amounts of money for worthless qualifications.
Towards the end of last year the Ministry of Education cautioned Namibian students to be wary of registering with unrecognised foreign educational institutions through agents, who charge them hefty sums of money to facilitate their admission. Minister of Education, Dr David Namwandi, said then that the ministry has noticed with great concern through the media that bogus educational institutions are swindling Namibian students both locally and internationally. Thousands of Namibian students are studying in Belarus, Russia, Libya, Egypt, USA, South Africa and Zimbabwe among other countries for diploma and degree courses in various fields of study. Namwandi said these institutions take advantage of desperate Namibians who are “thirsty for education” by charging them exorbitant amounts of money and making empty promises.
He cited the incidence of the Bulawayo Commercial Training Institute that allegedly deceived Namibians into studying in Zimbabwe promising them state of the art facilities, but contrary to the promises students are living in deplorable and inhuman conditions. This week the Director of the Southern Business School of Namibia, Albin Jacobs also raised concern about rogue educational institutions, saying Namwandi’s statement about Namibian students being swindled by education institutions both locally and internationally is very troubling. Jacobs noted that in Namibia, like in other African nations, young people are always told that education is the key to a better way of life. This he said is certainly the case, but only if the hard work and dedication, which the students put in, is rewarded with a qualification that is recognised, accepted and respected by the Ministry of Education and ultimately by potential employers. “As is so often [the case], youngsters and aspiring professionals need to heed the saying ‘buyer beware’ when it comes to education, much like in the rest of life. Simply enrolling at an institute and paying large sums of money for a course does not guarantee a recognised qualifications,” he advised.
He further cautioned that students must do their homework to ensure that their investment in their education will not lead to disappointment as has happened with some institutions that the Minister of Education referred to recently. Moreover, according to him the Southern Business School Namibia is one of the academic institutions, which combats such tendencies and offers genuine certification and accreditation since its qualifications are recognised by the NQA. “This is a major problem as Namibians determined to get an education get duped into paying fees for degrees that have no meaning and no standing with prospective employees, as they are not officially recognised. Education is vital for a nation and its youth. It opens doors that were closed before and provides a country with the academic and intellectual foundation to move forward. This can only happen if the institutions that offer courses, diplomas and degrees are controlled, monitored and certified by the Ministry of Education through the NQA,” he explained.
By Albertina Nakale