NQA warns against registering with bogus tertiary institutions

WINDHOEK, 13 DEC – The Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA) has warned prospective students at tertiary institutions to be vigilant against bogus institutions that are not accredited with it, to avoid losing money.
The NQA’s Manager for Marketing and Communications, Catherine Shipushu in a media statement on Thursday said in light of the new academic year in January, a number of unaccredited institutions have been advertising their programmes for 2019.
“Some of these institutions have also been fraudulently using the NQA’s name to lure unsuspecting students to their institutions,” she added.
The challenge posed by unaccredited institutions, she explained is that because they are not quality assured, it is impossible to validate the quality of the educational programmes and thus the employability of graduates from those institutions.
“The continued existence of these unaccredited institutions contributes to increased flooding of the labour market with unemployable graduates,” she stated.
Shipushu therefore implored prospective students to study at accredited institutions and to verify their accreditation status prior to enrolment, in the interest of protecting the integrity of Namibian qualifications and to prevent them from being swindled into studying for fake qualifications.
“It is important for the public to note that the NQA does not evaluate qualifications obtained at unaccredited institutions and such qualifications will not be recognised for any purpose, be it for employment or further studies,” she made clear.
She pointed out that in some cases, institutions go beyond their specified accreditation scope by offering courses that have not been quality assured, a situation which bears critical consequences for students because although the institution is accredited, any qualification that falls outside the scope of accreditation will not be recognised.
A list of accredited institutions will be distributed through the newspapers early next year and will also be made available at all regional council offices, schools and libraries countrywide, Shipushu concluded. – NAMPA