Bema College owner denies closure

BERNARD Makau, Executive Director of Bema College, has denied reports that his institution faces closure due to a failure to secure accreditation from the City & Guilds of London Institute.

Bema College is a private institute providing educational programmes to about 300 students in information technology, telecommunications systems and tourism. Their courses have to be accredited by institutions such as City & Guilds, the Institute of Commercial Management (ICM), and the Association of Business Managers and Administrators (ABMA) – all London-based institutions that franchise educational programmes.Makau denied receiving a letter from City & Guilds in August, which retracted its accreditation of Bema qualifications.Speaking to The Namibian yesterday, he said he had contacted City & Guilds country director, Juan Visser, who would send him the relevant information today (Wednesday).He shrugged off all claims that his college had lost its accreditation from City & Guilds, showing The Namibian framed certificates hanging in his office, which approved Bema College for the rest of the year.”It’s not true, but even if it were, there’s no way we would close down because of losing City & Guilds.They’re just one (of the institutions we work with).”The letter, shown to The Namibian by Director Frans Gertze of the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA), read that although approval was normally valid for two years, “City & Guilds reserves the right to withdraw at any time if the centre fails to comply with approved criteria or for reasons of debt, malpractice, or for any reason that may prejudice the name of City & Guilds.”Gertze at first declined to divulge more information, saying that it could be “alarmist” for students still enrolled at Bema.He said the NQA would hold a media conference tomorrow (Thursday), where it would officially inform the public of its and City & Guilds’ decisions surrounding Bema’s accreditation, as well as the future of students who still have to write end-of-year exams.The NQA is the body responsible for defining Namibia’s standards in all sectors of education and training.Students and lecturers spoken to denied any knowledge of the said closure, although acknowledging that they had seen the report in a local newspaper.”They should give us our money back so we can go finish our education somewhere else if that is the case,” said one Business Computing student.”Our parents won’t understand this.They’ll think we ate up their money (sic),” the Angolan national said, adding that “they should let us know in advance if they’re closing.”Makau confirmed yesterday that the institution had not informed students and staff of a closure, as they themselves were not aware of anything of the sort.”If anyone wants to close this institution,” he said, “they should inform us of such plans.We don’t want to hear it through the grapevine.It causes panic and concern among students and staff.”Liezel Pieterson, Quality Assurance Manager for City & Guilds in South Africa, declined to give information regarding their stance on Bema College, urging the newspaper to wait for tomorrow’s press conference.According to Gertze, the loss of City & Guilds accreditation would be problematic for Bema College, as it would damage its reputation with other accreditation bodies it works with.Their courses have to be accredited by institutions such as City & Guilds, the Institute of Commercial Management (ICM), and the Association of Business Managers and Administrators (ABMA) – all London-based institutions that franchise educational programmes.Makau denied receiving a letter from City & Guilds in August, which retracted its accreditation of Bema qualifications.Speaking to The Namibian yesterday, he said he had contacted City & Guilds country director, Juan Visser, who would send him the relevant information today (Wednesday).He shrugged off all claims that his college had lost its accreditation from City & Guilds, showing The Namibian framed certificates hanging in his office, which approved Bema College for the rest of the year.”It’s not true, but even if it were, there’s no way we would close down because of losing City & Guilds.They’re just one (of the institutions we work with).” The letter, shown to The Namibian by Director Frans Gertze of the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA), read that although approval was normally valid for two years, “City & Guilds reserves the right to withdraw at any time if the centre fails to comply with approved criteria or for reasons of debt, malpractice, or for any reason that may prejudice the name of City & Guilds.”Gertze at first declined to divulge more information, saying that it could be “alarmist” for students still enrolled at Bema.He said the NQA would hold a media conference tomorrow (Thursday), where it would officially inform the public of its and City & Guilds’ decisions surrounding Bema’s accreditation, as well as the future of students who still have to write end-of-year exams.The NQA is the body responsible for defining Namibia’s standards in all sectors of education and training.Students and lecturers spoken to denied any knowledge of the said closure, although acknowledging that they had seen the report in a local newspaper.”They should give us our money back so we can go finish our education somewhere else if that is the case,” said one Business Computing student. “Our parents won’t understand this.They’ll think we ate up their money (sic),” the Angolan national said, adding that “they should let us know in advance if they’re closing.”Makau confirmed yesterday that the institution had not informed students and staff of a closure, as they themselves were not aware of anything of the sort.”If anyone wants to close this institution,” he said, “they should inform us of such plans.We don’t want to hear it through the grapevine.It causes panic and concern among students and staff.”Liezel Pieterson, Quality Assurance Manager for City & Guilds in South Africa, declined to give information regarding their stance on Bema College, urging the newspaper to wait for tomorrow’s press conference.According to Gertze, the loss of City & Guilds accreditation would be problematic for Bema College, as it would damage its reputation with other accreditation bodies it works with.