The interview centred on a single franchise in the North Western Province, which has experienced financial difficulties, and is under voluntary liquidation. The franchise is authorised to offer Damelin short programmes.
As confirmed by Debora Patta in the interview, Damelin has a good name and is a trusted brand, and we are committed to offering the highest standards of learning to students. For over 69 years, Damelin has been offering quality private education to people from all walks of life.
We were invited on the show to clarify the accreditation of short courses and to respond to allegations that students were misled. This is our response:
• Short courses are designed to meet students' immediate training needs and are fit for use in the workplace.
• The short courses that the Brit's students registered for run between 12-24 weeks.
• It is not a requirement for short courses to be registered with the Department of Higher Education (DHET), but they are quality assured by external specialists and the Damelin Academic Board.
• Students are informed of these facts on registration by our student advisors, lecturers and through our websites. We also encourage students to ask questions before signing up for any course.
• Damelin Brits is provisionally accredited with UMALUSI, the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training (FET 00426 PA), www.umalusi.org.za.
We accept that a minority of students from the Brits campus had to wait longer than necessary for their certificates, due to a breakdown in communication with the franchise. However, we have resolved the matter and issued the certificates to the students.
In terms of the agreement between Damelin and Naledi Katiso (Pty) Ltd, student fees are paid to Naledi Katiso (Pty) Ltd. Any students who believe that they qualify for a refund of their fees, for whatever reason, will need to take legal action against Naledi Katiso (Pty) Ltd to whom they paid their fees.
We want to assure students at the Brits campus that their current courses will be completed. Where possible, Damelin will assist students with other academic enquiries.
Contact us on:
0860 104 015 (8am-4pm, Wednesday - Friday this week).
Pat Johnson
Group Franchise Manager
