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For public protection and to ensure that qualifications are valid and recognized by the Department of Education and Industry.
The Technikons and Universities have SAQA and DHET accreditation; however the private colleges have to apply for this. If you are in any doubt, check the status of the private provider of higher education by emailing national@iidprofessions.org.za for more info.
- By law, every provider of higher education must be registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to operate as a private higher / further education and training institution. Look for their registration certificate which should be clearly displayed.
- All higher education programs offered by a higher education provider must be accredited by the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) for quality assurance, accountability and improvements in program quality.
- Every qualification offered by private higher education institutions must be registered by the South African Qualification Authority (SAQA) on the National Qualification Framework (NQF). Currently the SAQA unit standards, upon which the qualifications for interior architecture, design and decoration are based, are still in the process of being established. Once these standards have been laid down by the Department of Education all courses will have to be re-assessed to meet the requirements.