News / National
Fake colleges prey on hope
2 hrs ago |
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Across Harare and beyond, unregistered "colleges" are trading in hope.
From cramped offices downtown to WhatsApp groups and Facebook pages, they promise quick certificates, fast-track diplomas and cheap routes to employment. For desperate job-seekers, the offers sound like salvation. But for many, the bridge collapses the moment they try to cross it.
A recent inspection by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development uncovered 111 institutions operating illegally, with 42 formally deregistered. Harare and Chitungwiza alone accounted for 36 of the bogus outfits.
Earlier, Government had closed 368 technical and vocational training centres for similar offences under the Manpower Planning and Development Act.
The Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE) has raised "grave concern" over the mushrooming of unregistered colleges issuing fraudulent undergraduate and postgraduate degrees - including fake honorary PhDs.
"Some institutions persist in defying the law, continuing to enrol students and issue fraudulent degrees," ZIMCHE said in a March 2025 statement.
"Of particular concern is the use of false titles such as ‘Professor' or ‘Doctor' by officials and recipients of these dubious qualifications."
Professor Fanuel Tagwira, Permanent Secretary in the Higher Education Ministry, said ongoing inspections were part of a long-term cleanup of the sector.
"The ministry will continuously inspect private and independent education institutions to ensure compliance with national standards," he said.
The scam is deceptively simple: a rented office, a receptionist, a brochure promising "Business Administration" or "IT Diplomas," and a persuasive sales pitch about "flexibility" and "recognition."
Students are told they can "drop in and drop out," finish within weeks, and graduate with a "nationally recognised" certificate. Fees, often between US$200 and US$400, are just within reach for many families.
After paying, students receive a few notes or weekend "lectures," and a laminated certificate - convincing at first glance, worthless when verified.
"I thought my struggle was over," says Tendai Matwimbo (26), who paid US$350 for a "Business Administration Diploma" in Waterfalls. "I used my aunt's funeral payout. Instead, I bought shame."
Misheck Mukono (24) from Chitungwiza tells a similar story after paying US$200 for a "computer literacy diploma."
"They said I'd get an admin job. But when I went for an interview, they searched my certificate and said it didn't exist anywhere."
According to ZIMCHE CEO Professor Kuzvinetsa Peter Dzvimbo, many of the fake colleges change locations frequently to evade detection.
Educationist Dr Agrippa Mhunde says the proliferation reflects the desperate demand for credentials in a saturated job market.
"Each year thousands invest what little they have in a chance at advancement," he said. "Regulators face limited manpower, outdated databases and operators who relocate overnight."
Even in critical sectors such as healthcare, loopholes persist. In October 2025, the Ministry of Health and Child Care began vetting all student-nurse applicants through ZIMSEC to confirm academic records - a step meant to curb fake entries.
Dr Mhunde argues that the fight must be built around prevention, protection and prosecution.
"Public awareness must improve. Job-seekers should verify any college's registration with ZIMCHE or the Ministry before enrolling," he said.
ZIMCHE's "Check the List" campaign reminds citizens: "If your university is not registered, your degree is useless."
Experts are urging regulators to move from reactive inspections to proactive policing - conducting unannounced audits, swiftly prosecuting repeat offenders and keeping real-time databases of licensed institutions.
Victims, many of whom have lost savings, also need legal aid and counselling, they say.
"If legitimate institutions offer short, part-time and affordable programmes, the lure of quick certificates will fade," Dr Mhunde added. "Employers must verify all credentials before hiring and reject unaccredited ones outright."
The world of quick qualifications is no fringe phenomenon - it is a growing underground industry feeding on hope and desperation.
For every young Zimbabwean who pays believing in a brighter future, there is the risk of walking away with a certificate that opens no door.
Until regulation tightens and vigilance deepens, Harare's backstreets and digital corridors will remain home to a shadow education economy - one that sells dreams, and delivers only debt.
From cramped offices downtown to WhatsApp groups and Facebook pages, they promise quick certificates, fast-track diplomas and cheap routes to employment. For desperate job-seekers, the offers sound like salvation. But for many, the bridge collapses the moment they try to cross it.
A recent inspection by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development uncovered 111 institutions operating illegally, with 42 formally deregistered. Harare and Chitungwiza alone accounted for 36 of the bogus outfits.
Earlier, Government had closed 368 technical and vocational training centres for similar offences under the Manpower Planning and Development Act.
The Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE) has raised "grave concern" over the mushrooming of unregistered colleges issuing fraudulent undergraduate and postgraduate degrees - including fake honorary PhDs.
"Some institutions persist in defying the law, continuing to enrol students and issue fraudulent degrees," ZIMCHE said in a March 2025 statement.
"Of particular concern is the use of false titles such as ‘Professor' or ‘Doctor' by officials and recipients of these dubious qualifications."
Professor Fanuel Tagwira, Permanent Secretary in the Higher Education Ministry, said ongoing inspections were part of a long-term cleanup of the sector.
"The ministry will continuously inspect private and independent education institutions to ensure compliance with national standards," he said.
The scam is deceptively simple: a rented office, a receptionist, a brochure promising "Business Administration" or "IT Diplomas," and a persuasive sales pitch about "flexibility" and "recognition."
Students are told they can "drop in and drop out," finish within weeks, and graduate with a "nationally recognised" certificate. Fees, often between US$200 and US$400, are just within reach for many families.
After paying, students receive a few notes or weekend "lectures," and a laminated certificate - convincing at first glance, worthless when verified.
"I thought my struggle was over," says Tendai Matwimbo (26), who paid US$350 for a "Business Administration Diploma" in Waterfalls. "I used my aunt's funeral payout. Instead, I bought shame."
Misheck Mukono (24) from Chitungwiza tells a similar story after paying US$200 for a "computer literacy diploma."
"They said I'd get an admin job. But when I went for an interview, they searched my certificate and said it didn't exist anywhere."
According to ZIMCHE CEO Professor Kuzvinetsa Peter Dzvimbo, many of the fake colleges change locations frequently to evade detection.
Educationist Dr Agrippa Mhunde says the proliferation reflects the desperate demand for credentials in a saturated job market.
"Each year thousands invest what little they have in a chance at advancement," he said. "Regulators face limited manpower, outdated databases and operators who relocate overnight."
Even in critical sectors such as healthcare, loopholes persist. In October 2025, the Ministry of Health and Child Care began vetting all student-nurse applicants through ZIMSEC to confirm academic records - a step meant to curb fake entries.
Dr Mhunde argues that the fight must be built around prevention, protection and prosecution.
"Public awareness must improve. Job-seekers should verify any college's registration with ZIMCHE or the Ministry before enrolling," he said.
ZIMCHE's "Check the List" campaign reminds citizens: "If your university is not registered, your degree is useless."
Experts are urging regulators to move from reactive inspections to proactive policing - conducting unannounced audits, swiftly prosecuting repeat offenders and keeping real-time databases of licensed institutions.
Victims, many of whom have lost savings, also need legal aid and counselling, they say.
"If legitimate institutions offer short, part-time and affordable programmes, the lure of quick certificates will fade," Dr Mhunde added. "Employers must verify all credentials before hiring and reject unaccredited ones outright."
The world of quick qualifications is no fringe phenomenon - it is a growing underground industry feeding on hope and desperation.
For every young Zimbabwean who pays believing in a brighter future, there is the risk of walking away with a certificate that opens no door.
Until regulation tightens and vigilance deepens, Harare's backstreets and digital corridors will remain home to a shadow education economy - one that sells dreams, and delivers only debt.
Source - The Herald
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