Nationwide Crackdown: 368 Illegal Colleges Closed as Government Enforces Education Regulations
In a significant crackdown on unregistered educational institutions, the government has with immediate effect clamped down on 368 technical and vocational training centres across the country.
These institutions were found to be operating without the necessary documentation as required under the Manpower Planning and Development Act (Chapter 28:02).
Government’s Inspection Reveals Widespread Non-Compliance
The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development confirmed the closures in a statement released yesterday.
According to The Herald, the ministry outlined that the inspection aimed to ensure compliance with the Manpower Planning and Development Act and related statutory instruments.
“The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development is carrying out its mandate of inspecting private and independent education and training institutions to ensure that they are compliant with the Manpower Planning and Development Act (Chapter 28:02) subsection 1 and Statutory Instruments 333 of 1996 and 26 of 2001.This is crucial for ensuring improved access to quality and equitable inclusive education and training,” the statement noted.
Breakdown of Affected Institutions
The inspection covered institutions in several provinces, revealing widespread issues:
- Bulawayo Metropolitan Province: Eight institutions were de-registered, with 39 others found to be operating illegally.
- Harare Metropolitan Province and Chitungwiza: Thirteen institutions were de-registered, while 199 were operating unlawfully.
- Manicaland Province: Seventeen institutions were either de-registered or found to be operating illegally.
- Mashonaland Central: Sixteen institutions were identified as non-compliant.
- Mashonaland East: One institution was found operating illegally.
- Mashonaland West: Twenty institutions were non-compliant.
- Masvingo: Sixteen institutions were implicated.
- Matabeleland North: Two institutions were non-compliant.
- Matabeleland South: Five institutions were identified as operating illegally.
- Midlands: Twenty-four institutions were found to be operating without proper authorization.
Professor Tagwira Addresses Issues with Unregistered Colleges
In an interview conducted yesterday, Professor Fanuel Tagwira, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, addressed the issues surrounding unregistered educational institutions. He highlighted that these institutions were issuing certificates that do not meet industry standards, thereby disadvantaging students.
Professor Tagwira emphasized the need to confirm a college’s registration status with the Higher Education Examinations Council (HEXCO) before enrollment.
“When they are operating illegally it means we cannot assess their standards. They might be offering an education that is below our standards, but their standards are unknown to us,” he explained.
He further noted the financial strain on parents, guardians, and students, who invest significant amounts in education only to find out that their qualifications are not recognized.
“Parents, guardians and students are paying a lot of money to access an education, but after spending so much money they discover that their qualification is not up to standard and it is not accepted when applying for jobs,” Professor Tagwira said.
He also pointed out the long-term consequences for graduates.
“The unfortunate thing is that when students graduate from those colleges, they can’t use the certificates to apply for a job since it would have been obtained from an unregistered college and does not comply with the national qualification framework,” he added.
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