Student housing shortfall at 'critical levels'

21 October 2015 - 17:21 By RDM News Wires.

As student protests against difficult conditions spread throughout the country‚ students will struggle to secure accommodation before they begin their studies next year. STAG African Student Accommodation Group released a statement on Wednesday saying that “more than 200 000 university students will be left without adequate housing when the university year kicks off in February 2016”.“A boom in higher education has resulted in a major accommodation shortfall‚ with university heads conceding that the situation has reached crisis levels‚” the group said.“With university budgets facing major constraints and cutbacks from national government‚ student accommodation in South Africa is in a dire state. The knock on effect of poor accommodation is directly linked to the high failure rate at universities.”The property development group said that “despite increased allocations towards upgrading and new residences at some universities‚ rising maintenance costs‚ ageing residences and other problems have limited the growth options for student housing”.“The likelihood of a first year student passing is increased from 60% to 80% if they stay in residence‚” said John Schooling‚ MD of STAG African. “The negative pass rate is even more staggering at previously disadvantaged universities‚ where it is common for six or more students to share a room‚ simply because there is no alternative.“Accommodation for students is more than providing a place to sleep; it’s about creating communities; a listening‚ learning and living environment. This is crucial to the success of the housing facilities provided by the university‚” says Schooling...

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