The South African Association of Senior Student Affairs Professionals (Saassap) enters a critical new chapter at a time when students and universities are under unprecedented strain.
With the transition in Saassap's leadership, the question confronting us is no longer whether Saassap can survive, but whether it can be relevant in addressing the systemic crises shaping higher education.
Thanks to the outgoing national executive committee, Saassap has been rebuilt from near-collapse. Membership has stabilised, professional spaces for debate have been created, and a special edition of the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa has been delivered.
The association is no longer in intensive care. The heart is beating. But survival is not enough. Relevance is now the true test, and relevance demands that we face the realities of the student climate head-on.
The actual student experience
This year alone, more than 337,000 learners qualified for bachelor’s study, yet public universities can only accommodate about 202,000 first-year students. That leaves more than 114,000 young people — many of them from poor households — locked out.
Private higher education enrolments are surging, but access is unequal and affordability remains out of reach for most.
At the same time, accommodation shortages force students into unsafe or undignified living conditions, with some literally sleeping outside campuses while awaiting funding confirmation.
Even for those who gain access, survival is not guaranteed. More than 60% of students nationally are funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), most of them first-generation students navigating institutions that often feel alien and exclusionary. Funding delays and shrinking budgets derail their studies.
Many experience hunger and homelessness. Mental health crises are escalating, with 80% of students citing it as a top concern. Gender-based violence is at intolerable levels, threatening safety and dignity on campuses.
Meanwhile, the system itself is politically unsettled. The dismissal of the higher education minister on corruption charges has eroded confidence. Governance failures at NSFAS deepen instability.
The demands of students remain clear: education that is accessible, equitable and empowering. Meeting that demand requires courage, clarity, and collective action
The result is a higher education sector where students face barriers at every turn — financial, structural, emotional — and where inequality is reproduced rather than undone. It is in this context that Saassap must reposition itself
Student affairs safety net
Too often, student affairs is dismissed as peripheral; a “soft” function alongside the “hard” work of teaching and research.
In reality, student affairs is central to academic success, institutional transformation and national development. It is the bridge that helps first-generation students adjust. It is the safety net that addresses hunger, mental health and gender-based violence. It is the catalyst that can turn access into actual success.
To fulfil these roles effectively, the association’s relevance will depend on bold, purposeful action. Five priorities are clear:
- Thought leadership and visibility. Saassap must claim its space in shaping national debates on higher education. It must bring evidence-based insights into conversations on funding, transformation, and student well-being.
- Policy and organisational development. Strengthening Saassap's own frameworks will allow it to remain accountable, credible, and responsive to shifting sector realities.
- Professional development. Investing in our members — through research, training, and practice-sharing — will build the expertise needed to navigate an increasingly complex student environment.
- Strategic partnerships. The multi-dimensional challenges facing students cannot be solved by one department alone. Collaboration with academics, policymakers, civil society, health and social services, and, most importantly, students themselves is essential.
- Student-centred practice. Relevance must be measured not by rhetoric but by impact: improving lives on campuses, supporting success, and building belonging.
Access, equity and empowerment
The next chapter for Saassap is not about popularity — it is about purpose. It is about showing up where it matters, when it matters, and doing the work that truly changes lives.
Ten years after #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall, and almost 50 years since June 16 1976, the demands of students remain clear: education that is accessible, equitable and empowering. Meeting that demand requires courage, clarity, and collective action.
Saassap has survived the storm. Now it must step into the sunlight. From recovery to relevance — this is the journey ahead. And it begins now.
• Jerome September is dean of students affairs at the University of the Witwatersrand and newly elected president of the South African Association for Senior Student Affairs Professionals. He writes in his personal capacity.
For opinion and analysis consideration, e-mail Opinions@timeslive.co.za
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