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INCREASING ACCESS AND SUPPORT TO TERTIARY EDUCATION. Lessons learnt from CSI-funded bursary programmes in South Africa. Presented at the SAGRA Quarterly Network Event by: Silvester Hwenha. Presentation Overview. The problem Significance of tertiary education - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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INCREASING ACCESS AND SUPPORT TO TERTIARY EDUCATION
Lessons learnt from CSI-funded bursary programmes
in South Africa
Presented at the SAGRA Quarterly Network Event
by:
Silvester Hwenha
Presentation Overview
1. The problem
2. Significance of tertiary education
3. Structure of higher education
4. Research findings
5. Highlights from bursary programmes
6. Emerging insights
7. Lessons for corporate social investors
The problem…
Significance of tertiary education
Tertiary education is critical in:
• developing specialised skills;
• conducting research and evaluating knowledge;
• job creation; and
• contributes towards poverty eradication and social and economic
growth.
The structure of higher education in South Africa
102 public teacher training colleges, 20 universities and 15 technikons
Restructuring &
consolidation
23 HEIs
11 universities 6 comprehensive universities
6 universities oftechnology
• Over 90 registered private HEIs
The structure of higher education in South Africa (cont’d)
Enrolment in higher education937 220 (public)
93 000 (private)
Enrolment in FET Colleges427 423 (public)
80 000 (private)
AETC297 000
18 to 24 year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET) 3.2 million.
Research findings – the good
• Increasing student enrolment in colleges and universities:
• Gender equity has been achieved in tertiary enrolment
• State spending on universities increased from R6.7 billion in 2000 to R23.4
billion in 2011.
• In 2012/13 universities were allocated R20.9 billion and the budget is
projected to increase to R24.6 billion by 2016.
1993 2010 2012
473 000 893 024 1 030 220
Research findings – the good (cont’d)
• Between 1991 and 2012 National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS)
funded 991 759 students at a total cost of R25.1 billion in bursaries and
loans.
• Annual funding for NSFAS has increased from R22 million in 1991 to R513
million in 2000 to R3.2 billion in 2009. In 2012 NSFAS was allocated R5
billion for student loans and bursaries;
• CSI funding for education has increased over time. In 2013 the education
sector received 43% of the almost R8 billion of total CSI spend.
Research findings – the bad (cont’d)
• Racial inequality in higher education still remains
– 14% and 15% of Black and Coloured students between 20 and 24 years old
are in higher education
– 46% and 57% for Indian and White students between 20 and 24 years old are
in higher education
• Unacceptably high student dropout rate
– 45% of students drop out in university
– Drop out rate higher among Black students (59%)
– 35% of White students dropout
• Funding for tertiary education remains inadequate despite all efforts
Research findings – the bad (cont’d)
Reasons for high student drop-out rate:
• Poor selection of learners entering higher education
• Lack of adequate funding
• Inadequate academic support
• Inadequate support systems to guide students through tertiary
education
• Language of teaching and learning
• Lack of discipline among students and an entitlement culture
Research findings – the bleak reality (cont’d)
• Few students are passing matric with a bachelor
admission
• Students lack adequate foundational academic
skills and competencies to transition from
secondary to tertiary education
• Poor career advice and choices
First gap
• Students require comprehensive financial support
– tuition, books, meals transport and living expenses
• Psychosocial support required by students to deal with the demands of
life on campus
• Mentorship programmes and peer support groups necessary for most
students
• Workshops to support student social and academic development
necessary to ensure students graduate
Highlights from bursary programmes
• Student recruitment and placement: Place the right students in the right
courses at the right institutions
– REAP – uses a network of partnerships and volunteers to identify and assist potential
bursars in rural areas to apply for funding
– Assist bursars to make appropriate career choices
– SciMathUS Bridging Programme – for students who did not qualify for higher
education
– TBF – first engage with learners in Grade 11
– Target specific universities with programmes that approved programmes
Highlights from bursary programmes – best practice
• Student support : Provide intensive support to effectively manage the
initial transition
– Provide full cost bursaries
– Orientation camps
– TBF – target universities that provide life, study and workplace readiness skills, provide
mentoring support sand facilitate community service and vacation work opportunities
– Peer mentorship programme (3rd years students mentor 2nd year students and 2nd years
mentor 1st years)
– REAP assigns a student development advisor to each student once a term to review
and address any academic and social challenges
– Stellenbosch University – First Year Academy (FYA) to support first year students at-risk
of failing
– Tutor groups in halls of residence
Highlights from bursary programmes – best practice
• Work placement: Expose bursars to relevant work place skills to
complement the academic and technical skills
– TBF - Third year workplace readiness camps
– SU – Work placement programme
Highlights from bursary programmes – best practice
• Lack of resources and dependence on central government
• Inadequate infrastructure
• Increasing numbers of students
• Little research being conducted
Research findings – challenges faced by HEI
• Graduation rates still low
• More graduates in human and social sciences; business
and commerce; and science and technology
• Tertiary graduates unprepared for the world of work
• Few programmes providing students with practical work place skills
• Many employers competing for few top graduates
• Universities training very few postgraduate students
Research findings – the second gap (cont’d)
• A more holistic and robust theory of change required in the education
sector
• Inefficiencies in the education value chain renders the cost of education
unnecessarily high
• Increase opportunities for post-graduate studies. Global competitiveness
of any country rests on high level research and knowledge creation at
tertiary institutions
• Tertiary institutions must be more responsive to skills required in the
economy.
Emerging insights
• Assess the capacity, expertise and experience of bursary fund managers
to ensure that investments in bursary programmes are effective, achieve
intended goals and are sustainable
• Invest in and pay close attention to the selection of bursars
• Commit to get all bursars to graduation through ensuring access to
funding student academic and social support needs
Lessons for corporate social investors
Lessons for corporate social investors
.
• Support mechanisms designed to expose bursars to the world of work
through holiday attachments, learnerships or job placements
• Promote the evaluation and impact assessment of bursary programmes in
order to determine the value and contribution to society as well as the
return on investment.
• Pilot innovative bursary-funding models and programmes and leverage
government funding to take these to scale.
.