Deputy Speaker, I would like to respond to two issues. The first one is on the number of points which members raised about the challenges of the scourge of corruption.
This government is very serious about tackling corruption. To that extent, President Zuma has, amongst other things, appointed an interministerial committee to deal with the problem of corruption. It is not only the government, but the ruling party also fully backs this campaign to stamp out corruption in the whole of society. I also want to comment on the matter of unregistered private colleges. In addition to what Minister Mthetwa has said, as the department, we are working very closely with the police. We have taken further measures which include a dedicated phone line that we have publicly announced. Parents and students can phone in to check if colleges to which they are applying are registered or not.
We are also going to take further measures to ensure that even the registered colleges do not offer programmes beyond what they are registered for. This is another problem that we are experiencing.
Beside the courts operated by the police, we as a department are also considering additional measures, including the possibility of preventing them from applying for registration for a particular period after that.
We wish to urge all private providers in the area of further education and training to apply. This government has one of the most advanced, highly respected and transparent registration regimes for private colleges in the world. Thank you. [Applause.]