Universities South Africa supports Manamela's strategy for tackling higher education challenges
Universities South Africa (USAf) has welcomed Minister Buti Manamela's commitment to resolving systemic issues in the post-school education sector.
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Universities South Africa (USAf) has welcomed Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela's plans to address challenges facing the post-school education and training (PSET) sector.
It said the Minister’s pronouncements this week signalled a confidence-boosting and a genuine commitment to addressing the sector’s systemic issues.
“What the Minister articulated regarding the PSET sector carries profound implications for the future of universities,” said Professor Francis Petersen, chairperson of USAf and Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria.
“His address has instilled renewed hope in a sector grappling with complex challenges beyond its control, and has gone a long way toward restoring universities’ confidence in the Department of Higher Education and Training.”
USAf said Manamela's short-to medium-term action plan directly responds to concerns it had raised during a recent engagement with the Minister and his deputies on July 31.
Among the key issues USAf highlighted were:
- •Financial sustainability of the sector, particularly the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) operations and their financial impact on universities;
- Universities’ capacity constraints, especially in light of opportunities presented in distance education and the legislative barriers currently hindering universities from expanding into this domain;
- Campus safety and security, including recurring unrest at the start of each academic year—often linked to NSFAS funding, student debt, and accommodation shortages—as well as threats posed by so-called construction mafias to staff involved in procurement and infrastructure projects;
- High unemployment rates among Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college graduates, and universities’ willingness to get involved in strengthening TVET education to produce work-ready and modern economy-suited graduates;
- Delays in implementing Section 74 of the Higher Education Act, particularly the dissolution of the Committee of University Principals (CUP) and the Committee of Technikon Principals (CTP), and the migration of the legislated body, the Matriculation Board, from USAf to a legal entity.
Petersen said the long-term sustainability of universities remained a key concern for USAf.
“The Minister’s commitment to implementing a sustainable student funding model within the next four years directly addresses what we regard as an existential threat to the university sector. We wholeheartedly support this initiative.”