Private education giant Educor is set to become the first South African institution to set up branch campuses outside the country as it expands its operations into four new African countries under its well-known Intec and Damelin brands.
According to Carte Blanche, 12 of the courses offered by Damelin, one of the largest private higher education institutions in South Africa, are not registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training. Offering these courses without the requisite registration is an offence.
There are strong indications that demand for higher education is outstripping supply. In January, Gloria Sekwena died and at least 20 other people were seriously injured when about 5,000 people stampeded in a desperate attempt to register at the last minute with the University of Johannesburg. The university received more than 85,000 applications for fewer than 12,000 places last year.