Pretoria – The Gauteng Provincial Government will assist 240 students, who were fraudulently placed at Westcol Further Education and Training college campuses by a local resident.
The students from Eldorado Park, south of Johannesburg, were led to believe they had been registered at the campuses by a man who allegedly used fake letterheads of the Department of Higher Education and Training.
The man arranged accommodation for the students but left them stranded in terms of enrolment at the colleges, which include the Magaliesburg, Randfontein and Carltonville campuses. The man has since been arrested and is facing a charge of fraud.
Transport has been arranged for the students to be ferried between their homes and the various campuses from today.
The arrangement is part of an agreement reached by the provincial government and the students’ parents.
Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane and members of the Gauteng Executive Council held a meeting with the parents and stakeholders last week Tuesday.
Although the meeting resolved that the provincial government would remove the affected learners from the Westcol campuses and cover their daily transportation and meal costs to the tune of R7 500 per month for the duration of their studies, some of the students refused to go back home, and demanded that the provincial government funds their accommodation.
“We are happy that we have been able to find each other, for this settlement will go a long way in realising government’s goal of ensuring that the education of the African child is not compromised.
“We therefore urge all students to use the opportunity given to them to develop themselves, so that they can become active participants in building the country’s economy,” said Premier Mokonyane.
The Provincial Department of Education has also requested Westcol college to develop an academic recovery plan to make up for the time lost for the students. – SAnews.gov.za
