E@duCcO BELIEVE I 07 April 2021 Dear Ms Nortier, Damelin Response to the Daily Maverick I refer to your email sent 6 April 2021, regarding your questions about Damelin’s international students, refunds and the student Idah Makalani. The purpose of this response Is to provide clarity with regards to your questions raised in your email. IDAH MAKALANI With regards to the student Idah Makalani, we are of the opinion that you are no doubt aware of the provisions of POPIA and therefore we are not at liberty to disclose any further information to third parties. We can however confirm that as of Sam this morning there has been no official refund application submitted by the student at this time, however, we are currently investigating this matter. We will communicate directly with the student to resolve the issue at hand. DAMELIN REFUNDS Damelin follows the principles outlined in the refund policy and addresses each case as unique. The business follows a prescribed process that ensures that the request is sufficiently assessed. All refunds must sit before the Cancellation Committee and only when approved by the Committee are refunds payable within 90 days of such approval process. This is contained in clear language in our enrolment forms and on our website. Damelin treats refund requests with high priority, however, as with many institutions the COVID-19, Pandemic has caused delays with the processing of refund requests. Due to lockdown, it is not possible for the Committee to meet as often and to physically send the documents to members of the Committee for evaluation as a lot of these decisions are based on original documents and manual processes. The business endeavors to resolve these as quickly and efficiently as possible. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ‘The Damelin Education Group is governed by the Foreign Student Policy and the regulations outlined by the South ‘African Department of Home Affairs. Foreign students who want to study with Damelin must meet the student visa requirements before applying and are also responsible for applying for a student visa before commencing their studies at Damelin, it is the responsibility of the student to liaise with their embassy to ensure that they submit the correct documentation for their study permit. Students that meet the entrance requirements into a Damelin programme may receive a conditional acceptance letter which they can use in the study permit application to the Department of Home Affairs. I is important to note that this does not guarantee a study visa; unfortunately, a candidate cannot be a student at Damelin without one. Damelin BS Slicesa citywarsity | Damelin \ctth wntec@ducor DREAM | BELIEVE | Should the foreign student reside within South Africa, itis the responsibility of the student to make the required changes to their visa, if required, and to submit to Damelin, Once the student has been granted the requisite study permit for their chosen course of study the student is then registered as a full enrolment with our institution Damelin takes pride in having a diverse student body of both local and international students. As you are aware the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the national lockdown disrupted the start of the 2020 academic year and the continuation of the academic programme. All Damelin campuses nationally, were forced to adhere to the national regulations and lock down their campuses as per the Level 5 requirements as at 26 March 2020, although ‘educational institutions were forced to close as of the 18 March 2020 as per the announcement of the Minister of Education Blade Neimande. During this time of lockdown and those that followed the guidance provided by the Department of Higher Education and Training was strictly adhered too. Students were encouraged to continue to access all study materials, additional learning activities and the virtual class timetable which was available to all students in myClass via the student portal hitip://my.damelin.co.za. Both our local and international student body has access to the innovative Damelin virtual environment. In addition, Damelin was able to provide discounted data bundles to students residing within South Africa. Itis important to consider that Damelin is a Private Higher Education Institute and unlike Public Institutions, private Institutions did not have access to the same COVID-19 resources, i., free data and the like that is available to Public Higher education Institutions. Regardless of the challenges faced, Damelin has continued to innovate and provide students with the required support to continue their studies. Academic requests from international students have been assessed on a case-by-case situation and all international students were able to continue their studies for either virtually or blended for 2020/2021, and in accordance with regulatory requirements. All institutions across the country have since lockdown been operating and are continuing to operate under unprecedented circumstances and Damelin is committed to providing all students with the required support they need to successfully complete their studies. ‘Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Kind Regards ~~ Vo Michael Thuley, Chief Operating Officer Damelin @" G& Icesa citywarsity Damelin (yet irec