The Council on Higher Education has welcomed government plans to establish a central applications system to facilitate the admissions process in higher education institutions.
"In the council's view, this is long overdue," the board's CEO Ahmed Essop said on Friday.
He said the council recognised higher education institutions' concerns about the potential erosion of institutional autonomy if the programme was not properly managed, and the practical complexities of establishing a central applications system.
"We believe that the sector's concerns can be addressed," he said.
The council also welcomed the announcement by Higher Education SA that it would examine its members' experience to ensure there was not another stampede like that at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) this week.
Gloria Sekwena, 47, was killed and at least 20 people were injured in a crush at the university's Bunting Road campus. She had been accompanying her son Kgositsile to see him through the applications process.
Another woman, Kedibone Molete, who was critically injured, was said to be in a stable condition at 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria on Thursday.
After the incident, Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande told journalists that the department was hoping to have centralised applications in place by next year and would provide more information at schools on the applications process.
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