SAFTU calls on Educor to ensure students complete studies

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Trade union federation SAFTU has called on Educor to ensure that all students who are currently enrolled in its higher education institutions complete their studies and obtain their qualifications, before it shuts its doors.

Damelin College, CityVarsity, Icesa City Campus and Lyceum College, have been deregistered by the Higher Education Department over issues of gross non-compliance including failing to submit annual financial statements, poor curriculum performance and corruption allegations.

Over 13 000 students and 10 campuses are affected.

SAFTU’s national spokesperson Trevor Shaku, “These colleges flagrantly disregarded the labour practices established in this country, violating the rights of workers and technically abusing them through incompetent managerial style. The Department of Higher Education had also highlighted failure to submit audited annual statements by Educor. SAFTU demands the department not to dump students who were midway in pursuing their studies and the workers who worked at these institutions, from cleaners and security to lecturers and admin staff. The department must nationalize these colleges and absorb the workers permanently.”

Meanwhile, students from Educor institutions in Johannesburg say they feel that their future has been put into jeopardy.

“Eish, you know I don’t know how to say it because now I feel my future is unsafe and everyone here has been talking about that because it forces us to be in a position that it forces us to be in a position that we have to find other colleges that are actually registered so that we can have something for our futures. Now we have to adjust and find new institutions and it is going to be so difficult because I don’t think our scores will be credited at other institutions,” students lament.