Potential students warned to avoid unregistered Bible college in Stellenbosch

SCHOOL leavers looking for tertiary education opportunities have been warned against an unregistered Bible college operating in Stellenbosch.

The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) said that Kingdom Fire Christian College was operating unlawfully as it was neither registered with the department nor was it duly recognised by the US Secretary of Education as it claimed.

On its website, the college claimed to be an accredited satellite school of the North Carolina College of Theology (NCCT) based in Wilmington, North Carolina in the US, which is accredited by the Accrediting Commission International and the Transworld Accrediting Commission International, both in America.

However, the department said the college was not registered in South Africa or the US. By failing to register with local authorities, the college was in contravention of the Higher Education Act and should cease its operations.

“The purpose of registering private higher institutions is to ensure that providers of education and training operate within the law, have the necessary resources, capacity and expertise to offer acceptable standards of higher education,” department spokesperson Madikwe Mabotha said.

“All degree and diploma qualifications offered by the Kingdom Fire Christian Col- lege are not recognised by the relevant quality assurers including the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), the Council on Higher Education (CHE), Umalusi and QCTO and are invalid.”

The college’s director of biblical studies, Jan le Roux, said the institution was in contact with the department. He did not respond to questions about whether and why the college was not registered with the department.

On its website, the college says it offers a bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies, a Master’s in Theology, and various doctoral programmes.

However, it also states: “If the sole purpose of needing an education is for gospel ministry, or a related field, secular accreditation is not necessary or required.

“All Christian churches accept quality Christian education, regardless to which accreditation group, if any, the referenced institution belongs.”

The department also issued a warning against enrolling at the Johannesburg City College, which operates in Braamfontein.

“The department sends an urgent warning to both students and parents to remain vigilant against illegal, fly-bynight private colleges operating in the country especially this time of the year,” Mabotha said.

Students can verify the accreditation of private colleges on www. dhet. gov. za/ resources/Registers or call the DHET on 0800 87 2222.