Bema resurrection raises eyebrows

MORE than a year after losing the education sector’s blessing, the privately owned Bema College is raising eyebrows once again.

This time it is the College’s advertising of scholarships for students who wish to study in the United Kingdom (UK). The college, run by Kenyan-born Executive Director Bernard Makau, recently teamed up with a London-based institution, Lea Valley College, to offer 100 full tuition scholarships to prospective students.However the initiative, which expects applicants to submit a registration fee of £100 (about N$1 300), as well as pay their own living costs in the UK if selected, has raised suspicion because of the Namibian college’s history.Back in September 2005, both the City and Guilds of London and the Institute of Commercial Management (ICM), two of Bema’s three main partners, terminated their franchise agreement with the college.In a statement issued at that time, ICM cited problems in the governance of the institution, its performance, and the provision of resources to students as its reasons.The Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA) subsequently withdrew its approval, causing the college to lose all accreditation in Namibia.This latest move, however, according to NQA director Frans Gertze, is beyond the NQA’s control, although after approaching them for comment, the Ministry of Education did release a statement on Friday expressing concern over the development.”Investigations are underway to determine the validity and extent to which the scholarship agreement between Bema College and its yet to be disclosed UK partner universities and the implications for interested Namibian students are legitimate or not,” Ministry Permanent Secretary Iita Vitalis Ankama responded on Friday.The Ministry, he said, as the custodian of education and training in Namibia, had not been briefed or informed of any scholarship scheme undertaken by Bema college.”Scholarships of such magnitude generally need to be submitted through the Ministry of Education, normally through the Namibian High Commission and Ambassadors, which is not the case in this one and another recent one concerning sending learners to Zimbabwe,” Ankama stated.He warned the public to exercise caution, or to even refrain from applying for such scholarship until the Ministry had completed an investigation into the matter.In an interview on Thursday with Makau and the owner of Lea Valley College, Kayode Olaoye, the two men maintained that there was nothing suspicious about their venture.Makau had met with him in London, Olaoye told The Namibian.They discussed the possibility of partnering, he said, and this ultimately led to the current scholarship agreement.At the time, he admits, he had not known about the negative publicity Bema had generated locally, but after being informed, he still believed it to be a good decision to team up with them.”Previously we weren’t aware of the fact.But they’ve assured us that they’ve applied for accreditation with the NQA, and they (NQA) have confirmed this.”Bema says it is awaiting a response from the NQA to its application for renewed accreditation.”But the scholarships are real, they are there,” Olaoye said, adding that teaming up with his college might be just what Bema needs to regain the public’s trust.Lea Valley College, according to its website, has been in existence since 1980, and was set up with the intention of supporting “individuals in the wider community who, for whatever reason, need to improve their academic and professional qualifications”.Namibians, Olaoye said, will soon be thanking him for coming to Namibia instead of criticising the move.His college decided to team up with Bema for two reasons – to create a presence in the country and to promote its product.”If it had been someone else I met and who approached me, it might have been them we teamed up with,” he said.Partnering with Lea Valley should also, in the long run, improve the public’s perception of Bema, he added.”Our courses cost on average about £1 500, so the £100 we’re asking really doesn’t even cover our costs.But we’re doing this to establish a presence,” he says.Students are informed during the interviewing stage that they will have to take care of their own living costs, Makau says.”We look at two things: a 25-point cut-off, which is the same as at the Poly and Unam, or other qualifications in a related field.”This last point, he said, means that former and current Bema students are given preference during the evaluation process.About 26 students had already been approved for the scholarships by last week, and Makau says the first batch of students will leave for London in April.A second group is set to leave Namibia in September.The college, run by Kenyan-born Executive Director Bernard Makau, recently teamed up with a London-based institution, Lea Valley College, to offer 100 full tuition scholarships to prospective students.However the initiative, which expects applicants to submit a registration fee of £100 (about N$1 300), as well as pay their own living costs in the UK if selected, has raised suspicion because of the Namibian college’s history.Back in September 2005, both the City and Guilds of London and the Institute of Commercial Management (ICM), two of Bema’s three main partners, terminated their franchise agreement with the college. In a statement issued at that time, ICM cited problems in the governance of the institution, its performance, and the provision of resources to students as its reasons.The Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA) subsequently withdrew its approval, causing the college to lose all accreditation in Namibia.This latest move, however, according to NQA director Frans Gertze, is beyond the NQA’s control, although after approaching them for comment, the Ministry of Education did release a statement on Friday expressing concern over the development.”Investigations are underway to determine the validity and extent to which the scholarship agreement between Bema College and its yet to be disclosed UK partner universities and the implications for interested Namibian students are legitimate or not,” Ministry Permanent Secretary Iita Vitalis Ankama responded on Friday.The Ministry, he said, as the custodian of education and training in Namibia, had not been briefed or informed of any scholarship scheme undertaken by Bema college.”Scholarships of such magnitude generally need to be submitted through the Ministry of Education, normally through the Namibian High Commission and Ambassadors, which is not the case in this one and another recent one concerning sending learners to Zimbabwe,” Ankama stated.He warned the public to exercise caution, or to even refrain from applying for such scholarship until the Ministry had completed an investigation into the matter. In an interview on Thursday with Makau and the owner of Lea Valley College, Kayode Olaoye, the two men maintained that there was nothing suspicious about their venture.Makau had met with him in London, Olaoye told The Namibian.They discussed the possibility of partnering, he said, and this ultimately led to the current scholarship agreement. At the time, he admits, he had not known about the negative publicity Bema had generated locally, but after being informed, he still believed it to be a good decision to team up with them.”Previously we weren’t aware of the fact.But they’ve assured us that they’ve applied for accreditation with the NQA, and they (NQA) have confirmed this.”Bema says it is awaiting a response from the NQA to its application for renewed accreditation.”But the scholarships are real, they are there,” Olaoye said, adding that teaming up with his college might be just what Bema needs to regain the public’s trust.Lea Valley College, according to its website, has been in existence since 1980, and was set up with the intention of supporting “individuals in the wider community who, for whatever reason, need to improve their academic and professional qualifications”.Namibians, Olaoye said, will soon be thanking him for coming to Namibia instead of criticising the move.His college decided
to team up with Bema for two reasons – to create a presence in the country and to promote its product.”If it had been someone else I met and who approached me, it might have been them we teamed up with,” he said.Partnering with Lea Valley should also, in the long run, improve the public’s perception of Bema, he added. “Our courses cost on average about £1 500, so the £100 we’re asking really doesn’t even cover our costs.But we’re doing this to establish a presence,” he says.Students are informed during the interviewing stage that they will have to take care of their own living costs, Makau says.”We look at two things: a 25-point cut-off, which is the same as at the Poly and Unam, or other qualifications in a related field.”This last point, he said, means that former and current Bema students are given preference during the evaluation process.About 26 students had already been approved for the scholarships by last week, and Makau says the first batch of students will leave for London in April.A second group is set to leave Namibia in September.