HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA, ITS CHALLENGES AND THE UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG’S DEVELOPMENT

Joe Manyaka: APPA Board Meeting 03 August 2015

Introduction “Since 1994 there have been numerous changes to the university landscape, and more are in the offering. Via a series of mergers, incorporations and new establishments, South Africa now has 25 public universities”,   The 26 universities, are made up of: 12 Traditional Universities; 6 Universities of Technology (previously known as Technikons); 8 Comprehensive Universities (they function as traditional universities and Universities of Technology). Two new universities in Mbombela (Mpumalanga Province – University of Mpumalanga) and Kimberley (Northern Province – Sol Plaatje University) were established in the past two to three years. The 26 Universities have just under 1 000 000 full time and part-time students and by 2030 the plan is to have 1 600 000 students.

Challenges facing Higher Education The following are the biggest challenges facing Higher Education in South Africa:   Finance is a challenge at both institutional (infrastructure) and student levels; Accommodation/student Housing for students is not adequate; Maintenance/backlog maintenance; Limited space for all who want to get access into universities. Finance Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDI’s) rely heavily on the state subsidy which is based on the student enrolment, research, etc. The funds from the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET together with student tuition fees are used as a mode of survival by institutions. The other disadvantage is that most of them (institution) are owed millions in student fees. As a result of the above, they rely heavily on the state subsidy because they do not have enough reserves which can help when there is a need, whereas most of the former white institutions have good reserves. Infrastructure and maintenance “The infrastructure and equipment of Universities have deteriorated and became hugely inadequate in a period of rapid expansion of enrolment in the higher education system”.

Challenges facing Higher Education continued… For this reason, the Department of Higher Education and Training has invested more than R6.8 billion in upgrading and expansion of infrastructure across South Africa’s 23 existing universities from 2006 to date.   When institutions apply for these funds, they are also requested to contribute from their own resources derived from student fees, institutions investment and endowments, etc. Institutions’ own contributions range from 10% - 50% of the funds they are applying for (depending on each institution’s financial position). There is also earmarked funding for renewal and maintenance purposes. The earmarked funds are set aside for backlog/deferred maintenance. Institutions apply for these funds to handle their backlog maintenance. The day to day maintenance falls within institutions' funds which maintenance divisions budget for annually.

Challenges facing Higher Education continued… Tuition fees Most students entering tertiary education are from poor backgrounds and can’t afford fees charged by universities and most register and cannot pay their annual fees. The Department of Higher Education and Training established the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) in 1996 “as the primary instrument for providing financial support for poor students and thus enhancing access to higher education for citizens from previously marginalised communities”. Since that period NSFAS has considerably been increasing in terms of the amount of money available for annual disbursement. In 2006 the funds allocated for NSFAS were R1 259 026 000.00 ($105m) has grown to R3 394 721 000.00 ($283m) in 2012 and R9.5bm $750m for 400 000 students in 2014. These funds are not sufficient as the number of students applying are far more than the money available. For instance, when this funding scheme started in 1991, it catered for 7220 students and grew to 199 479 in 2012. There is currently a shortfall of R30bn ($2,5bn) to accommodate/cover most/all students who need funding.  

Challenges facing Higher Education continued… Student Housing Universities do not have adequate accommodation for students within their campuses and the following are some of the challenges associated with Student Housing: Firstly, with just below one million students within our universities now, 30% of these students are in university residences and a larger % is accommodated in off-campus accommodation which is given accreditation before approval. It has been discovered that students who are staying in on-campus accommodation perform better academically as opposed to those staying outside campuses. The Department of Higher Education and Training is proposing that at least the majority (higher percentage; 50 – 80%) of students must be accommodated in on-campus accommodation as opposed to off-campus. This will surely take time to materialise because of the lack of funding. Most of the old residences in older universities; previously disadvantaged institutions require serious refurbishment. In 2013, it was estimated that R4.4bn will be needed to refurbish these old residences. Therefore a dedicated funding that can be accessed by institutions for this purpose is required.

Challenges facing Higher Education continued… Limited space at university for everyone to get access The current spaces/infrastructure at the 23 universities are not enough to absorb all those who want to get higher education. Hence the establishment of the two new universities will help but not completely eradicate this challenge. On the other hand, the Minister of the Department of Higher Education and Training has allocated a further R6bn for the infrastructure expansion for the 2012/2013 – 2014/2015 cycle. Institutions will make applications to expand themselves in order to accommodate more numbers. There is also a huge move to reshape the previously Further Education and Training Colleges (FET’s) which are now called Technical and Vocational Education and Training Colleges (TVET Colleges) to absorb large numbers of students who cannot be admitted at universities. This will help to solve access into higher education in South Africa.

UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG (UJ) It was formed out of a merger of the former Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), Technikon Witwatersrand (TWR) and two campuses of the then Vista University. The merger was preceded by the incorporation of the two Vista University campuses; the East Rand and the Soweto into RAU in 2004 and a merger between RAU and TWR happened in 2005.   The University has 50 000 students spread across the 4 campuses of which 3 are in town (Johannesburg) and one in Soweto.   Auckland Park Kingsway Campus (APK) - 26 000 Auckland Park Bunting Road Campus (APB) - 5 500 Doornfontein Campus (DFC) - 12 000 Soweto Campus (SWC) - 6 500 Distance between campuses DFC 24% SWC 13% APB 11% APK 52%

UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG (UJ) Infrastructure Development:   The new University has a gross built area of 657 561 square metres so far has spent over R1.2bn $100m in infrastructure development since 2008 in the following campuses: The table below illustrates the change in total building area (m²) from February 2014 (last update), to July 2014. Campus Feb-14 July -14 Change in area m² APB 110 945 APK 253 806 DFC 195 223 SWC 79 366 ISLAND 2 103 BUILDINGS OFF CAMPUS 16 118 TOTAL AREA 657 561

UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG (UJ)

UJ Bunting Road Campus No major development was done at the APB Campus. 

UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG (UJ) The SWC was upgraded from a campus which accommodated 2500 to a world-class premier campus which can accommodate 8 000 at a cost of R650m.

Current UJ Soweto Campus

UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG (UJ) DFC just completed a R400m development project to upgraded the campus to be able to accommodate over 12000 students from 8000 students.

Current UJ Doornfontain Campus

Current UJ Doornfontain Campus

Current UJ Doornfontain Campus

Current UJ Doornfontain Campus

UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG (UJ) APK has completed a development project that has resulted in two new lecture venues which can accommodate 700 students each at a cost of R100m ($8m. Part of the money to revamp these campuses came from the Infrastructure Development Fund (DHET) and UJ contributed 35% of the total received from DHET from its own reserves.

UJ Kingsway Campus

UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG (UJ) Part of the money to revamp these campuses came from the Infrastructure Development Fund (DHET) and UJ contributed 35% of the total received from DHET from its own reserves.

UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG (UJ) Student Housing   With 50 000 students UJ has only 7000 students who are staying in on-campus accommodation and 12 000 students are staying in off-campus establishments. UJ has since completed new residences at the APK and SWC at a cost of R160m and these are accommodating 750 students. The university is currently constructing a new residence at the Soweto Campus which will have 270 beds and a cost of R70m ($6m). The completion date of this residence is 31 July 2015. Backlog maintenance at student residences is a serious concern and this is being addressed. Student Access into UJ: Every year the University receives thousands of applications from prospective students and a fraction of these can be accepted because of limited spaces. For instance, in 2013 the University received 130 000 applications for only 11 000 available spaces.

UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG (UJ) Conclusion   Since this 10 year old institution started on a journey for Global recognition in the past three to four years, through its 2025 Global Excellence and Stature Strategic Objective, UJ is now ranked: 788 in the University Ranking in Academic Performance (URAP); In the Top 4% in the QS World Class University Ranking; 61st in the QS World Class Universities (BRICS) and 7th in South Africa.

Thank You !!!