Deputy Speaker, the SA Police Service recently conducted operations in Pretoria and Johannesburg, which targeted unregistered private Further Education and Training colleges. Out of five institutions which they visited in Pretoria, only one was properly registered according to the Department of Higher Education database.
These illegal institutions have a negative impact on South Africa's education system. We agree with the Minister of Police when he said that such acts are unconstitutional and tantamount to thuggery, and law enforcement agencies will be tough on these scandalous people, who are driven by greed and therefore rob our children of a bright future.
The directors of the four unregistered institutions, who were arrested, are expected to appear in court soon. In Johannesburg, police arrested a director of an unregistered institution and when they questioned him they discovered that he owns 28 schools around the country.
It was also found that students who had passed their exams were issued with false certificates that are not recognised by the Department of Higher Education.
According to the SAPS, they will be visiting all private schools around the country, in the coming weeks and months, to verify their status. We wish to congratulate the SAPS on the work well done in ensuring that these illegal institutions are closed down. We wish them every success as they continue with this operation.
At the same time, we call on parents to ensure that private institutions are correctly registered before they enrol their children. Thank you.