WHEN Thembi Modise of Diepkloof, Soweto, was pregnant, she decided to take out an educational endowment policy because she did not want to compromise the future of her child.

But little did she know that her child's investment would enrich a dubious agent, who promised to secure an education for her daughter abroad.

Modise said she was defrauded of R30,527 under the pretext that Christian Whittaker would secure her daughter, Katlego, a place to study at the University of Stirling in Scotland, United Kingdom.

This amount was paid into Whittacker's Standard Bank account in May 2010, Modise said.

But Stirling University spokeswoman, Patricia Hess, denied that the university ever received any payment from International Education Link for Katlego's tuition fees.

She also added that if a student were unable to take up his or her place at the university for any reason, the institution would refund the student, minus the commitment fee and administration cost.

Modise said her daughter's dreams were shattered when she could not raise her tuition and accommodation fees.

She needed R120,000 for her accommodation and tuition fees, but her loan application was declined though she had used her house as security, Modise said.

She then cancelled her daughter's application since she did not have the required funds.

She expected a refund because she cancelled the registration within the cancellation period, Modise said.

But she was not going to get her money back because she had signed the application form that had a no-refund clause.

This clause was not brought to Modise's attention and she only learned about it after Consumer Line spoke to Whittaker.

What also misled Modise was the invoice Whittaker gave her.

It stated that her daughter's acceptance fee and a deposit to secure a place at the University of Stirling was deductible from the tuition fees, which according to Whittaker was deductible from the R30,527, she said.

This raised Modise's expectations and her only consolation was that her daughter would still be able to pursue her studies at the University of Johannesburg instead, she said.

They have not received their refund and Whittaker could not produce any proof that she had paid the money to the UK university.

Modise's misery started in 2009 when her daughter was doing her matric at Park Town Girls' High School in Johannesburg

Whittaker had visited the school on careers day in 2010 to sell her services. She had told the interested matriculant that she could help them secure a place at any university in the world at a cost of R450 as a registration fee. This fee would to enable Whittaker to process and manage applications and to provide students with the best advice on where to study.

Katlego was interested and so she paid the money to Whittaker to start processing her application.

Subsequently, Katlego was provisionally accepted for a BA in finance.

A few weeks later, Modise cashed in her daughter's education endowment policy and deposited the amount needed to Whittaker to be paid to the university.

The R30,527 was a deposit to secure a place and as an acceptance fee, registration fee, administration fee and visa-counselling fee.

"I paid and then left it to my daughter to work hard and obtain a matric exemption," Modise said.

She had to take another loan from her employer to enrol her daughter while waiting for her refund.

Modise said Whittaker had undertaken to refund her money minus administration fees. She had no qualms about this because she knew it was not refundable.

Modise said she wanted to warn all aspirant matriculants who want to pursue their studies abroad through this agent to tread very carefully before they parted with their money.

"I have learned the hard way that a fool can easily be robbed of her money," Modise said.

Whittaker said Modise was aware that her R30,527 was non-refundable. She said the money was split between herself and the university.

Whittaker said the acceptance fee of R17,527 went to her advertising cost, payment of her staff and processing of Katlego's application.

The balance, which included a securing deposit visa fee, was paid to the university, Whittaker said.

However, Hess, the head of communications and media department at the University of Stirling, denied this. She said International Education Link, with Christine Whittaker as its director, acted as an agent of the university in the SADC region from January 2009 to October 2011.

"The university stopped accepting new applications from International Education Link because the organisation's financial systems were not compatible with the university's practices and regulations, nor with the UK Border Agency," Hess said.

She said the University of Stirling was wholly committed to full transparency and to offering the highest levels of service and support to their current students and to all those who were considering to study with them.

"The university has not received any payment from Thembi Modise, nor International Education Link on her behalf and we are not holding any funds on her behalf," Hess said.

She said the University of Stirling does not charge an application fee. It operates a commitment fee scheme for self-financing students, she said.

The commitment fee, which was £1000 in 2010, is non-refundable and is deducted from the student's first year's tuition fees, Hess said.

She said the commitment fee is payable only after a student has accepted his or her formal offer of a place.

Hess said the commitment fee must be deposited into the university's bank account before the university can issue the certificate of acceptance for studies (CAS).

The student requires a CAS to apply for his or her UK visa, Hess said.

The university does not ask for further payment until the student has arrived on campus and is ready to enroll, she said.

The university deducts the commitment fee from the student's first year tuition fees.

Payment of residence rents are made separately after the student has enrolled and can also be paid in installments throughout the academic year.

"If a student is not able to take up a place at the university for any reason, the university will make a full refund to the student of any monies paid to the university, minus the amount of the commitment fee plus a 15% charge to cover administrative costs," Hess said.