Prospective Student Cannot Find Res or Register For TVET College
Around 200 young people who were sleeping outside the gates of Thekwini TVET College last month have been the victim of a scam. The group were attempting to register at the TVET College and wanted to get assistance from the college in securing residential accommodation.
The Technical Vocational and Educational Colleges are popular with many young people when they finish Matric - but also those who leave school earlier as they have some courses suitable for those who leave school after Grade 10. There are 9 Technical Vocational Education Colleges in Kwazulu Natal and they fall under the Higher Education and Training Department in the national government.
Student Centred Model Stops TVET College From Helping
It is still unclear exactly how many of the group have been approved for NSFAS funding and how many have as a result been able to register as students at the Thekwini College.
The story was reported by eNCA who were investigating the matter but were unable to locate the man who told the group of students who were sleeping rough that he was an official from NSFAS.
The TVET College have said that a genuine NSFAS official would not speak to students without also communicating with the College.
Bogus NSFAS Official Probably Working With Accommodation Provider
The college official suggests that unscrupulous landlords can try to get students to stay with them as a way of forcing NSFAS to pay them for accommodating them.
When approached by eNca the TVET College principal Nkosinathi Mchunu said his college hadn't received the names of the students and he wasn't able to confirm that they were yet registered with his college.
Because of the way NSFAS works, young people will apply to NSFAS directly and communicate with the applicant before they communicate with the college.
Youth Should Beware When Applying To College
This may be another example of young people who are so desperate for education that they have made their way from home to a city with the hope of registering at a college. With limited resources - and also limited information on how the systems work - the youth are vulnerable to scammers.
TVET Colleges in KZN
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Coastal TVET College
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Elangeni TVET College
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Esayidi TVET College
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Majuba TVET College
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Mnambithi TVET College
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Mthashana TVET College
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Thekwini TVET College
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Umfolozi TVET College
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Umgungundlovu TVET College
