Private universities ready to step into breach

Only two in 10 matriculants will be accepted to study at universities, but the rest need not despair about earning a degree.

As public universities and universities of technology struggle to cope with thousands of applications for the new academic year, education bodies and experts say South Africa's 24 public tertiary institutions need not be the only hope for students eager to get higher education qualifications.

The answer, they say, lies in virtual courses and private higher education institutions.

Nic Spaull, an education researcher at Stellenbosch University, said: "The number of students qualifying with a bachelor's pass has been increasing substantially over the past seven years, from about 100,000 in 2009 to more than 160,000 in 2016.

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"If the public higher education system cannot expand quickly enough to incorporate them, the private higher education system is likely to [do so]. We also see similar trends in the schooling sector with the number of private schools expanding quite rapidly," said Spaull.

According to The Tax Faculty - which offers a virtual campus to aspirant tax professionals - an estimated two in 10 matrics are expected to be accepted at the country's campuses for the 2017 academic year.

Stiaan Klue, head of The Tax Faculty, said low acceptance rates were definitely "becoming more of a reality".

"However, aspiring learners do not have to shut down their short- or long-term academic goals," Klue said.

"Alternative learning opportunities, such as virtual courses, offer advanced, interactive environments without the delays and daily challenges experienced on campuses."

South African universities had started to capitalise on the "digitalisation of classrooms".

"South Africans can use the technology to face current challenges, turn it into opportunities and broaden the education reach to millions more," said Klue.

Professor Henriette Hay-Swemmer, group chief academic officer of private education group Educor, said private higher education institutions offered "the same opportunities as universities, so there is still hope to get that degree, diploma or higher diploma".

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Hay-Swemmer said Damelin - which is owned by Educor - was "in the implementation phase of introducing 10 new degrees to be rolled out by 2018, so students can have the same extensive variety as a university".

Felicity Coughlan, director of the Independent Institute of Education - another private higher education institution - said the situation with university intakes was unlikely to change in the near future.

"However, that does not mean affected matriculants have to give up on their futures and settle for a different line of work completely."

Although the quality of education at private higher education institutions varied, "just as it does between public universities", matriculants were done a disservice if they were told their only options were public universities and technical training, she said.

There had been an increase in applications, she said.

"We do not attribute this to the public institution disruptions as we, like the rest of the country, are confident that these issues will be resolved," Coughlan said.

"Our growth is not a result of their difficulties but rather as a result of more students beginning to understand what we offer and opting to register with us because what we offer matches their preferences and aspirations," she added.