Access to higher education in 2023: dream or reality?

The annual hype around the release of the matric results in South Africa has come and gone. The politicking about, and refuting of, the ‘good or bad’ results by the governing and opposition parties alike, are also done, thank you very much. Now, it is the task of the Higher Education (HE) institutions in the country, to make good on the expectations created for the matriculating class of 2022, says Dr Ronel Blom, Academic Dean at Regent Business School.

“The picture is pretty bleak. The latest 2019 StatsSA statistics indicate that only 17,8% of South African citizens have attained a post-school qualification. This statistic is a key indicator that the higher education sector in South Africa is failing to meet demand.

“In South and Southern Africa (SSA), for example, the demand for places at a university, far outpaces the supply – the global massification of HE has led to needs that governments cannot meet. There is a dire shortage of higher education places available in SSA, with a high applicant-to-seat ratio in many countries as high as two to four applicants per place.

“Consequently, there has been substantial growth in the private higher education sector. It is now a common feature in most of the world, that HE includes a mix of public and private provision.”

Dr Blom said with the demand for access to HE to be unstoppable, especially in the context of Africa’s traditionally low post-secondary attendance levels, we need to act, as higher education is seen to be a key force for modernisation and development, not to mention innovation and technological acumen.

Therefore, the emergence of a strong private higher education sector is a good thing, she says, both because a mix of public and private institutions offers candidates a much wider, more diverse menu to choose from; and in meeting the desperate demand for places. There really is a place in the sun for every eligible student.

Dr Blom said the Minister of Basic Education, Mrs Angie Motshekga, proudly announced, the number of candidates qualifying for admission to Bachelor studies at universities is 278,814, an improvement of 8.9%, which is the highest attained in the history of the NSC examination.

“This should be celebrated, but the celebration should be coupled with the means to meet the demand.

“Regent Business School is proud to reiterate its mission, namely, to provide accessible, affordable, and quality entrepreneurial, business and management education, responsive to the critical needs of South Africa and the African continent. The answer to the question ‘quo vadis?’, is ‘clara futura est’ (the future is bright) – be the future!”