By Dr Mandi Joubert
Looking back on my academic journey, I feel deeply privileged to have pursued a doctorate and two master’s degrees while working full-time. The sleepless nights juggling family obligations, deadlines, assignments and professional responsibilities, often while self-funding my studies, taught me resilience.
But they also revealed the very real barriers that can derail even the most determined students. Barriers many are unable to overcome without support.
Today, as Head of Academics at Eduvos, I see the transformative power of removing those barriers. The current state of South Africa’s higher education landscape requires an urgent focus on ensuring that it truly serves all who seek to better themselves and their communities.
The barriers that leave students behind
South Africa’s higher education crisis is well documented, but the human cost of exclusion remains stark. Our research highlights several interconnected barriers systematically excluding capable students from accessing quality education.
Capacity constraints in public institutions create the first hurdle. With demand far exceeding supply, thousands of qualified applicants are turned away each year. Even securing a place doesn’t guarantee success. Affordability remains a crushing reality for many families. Beyond tuition, the hidden costs of textbooks, accommodation and lost income often force students to abandon their studies.
Perhaps most concerning is the academic preparedness gap. Many students arrive at tertiary institutions without the foundational skills needed for success. Traditional one-size-fits-all approaches fail these learners, who often drop out not from lack of ability, but from lack of appropriate support.
Innovating for inclusion
Addressing these realities requires a reimagining of higher education that centres on student outcomes and recognises today’s students don’t fit yesterday’s moulds.
Alternative academic pathways such as access programmes, bridging courses and higher certificates ensure a Grade 12 certificate without a Bachelor’s pass isn’t the end of one’s academic journey. Students at different life stages benefit from different learning modalities, which allow them to earn an income while studying, and eases the financial pressures that derail many promising careers.
Eduvos’ 12 campuses across major metros allow students to study closer to home, reducing relocation costs and maintaining family support networks. Multiple intake periods throughout the year also acknowledge that life happens, enabling students to start their studies when it suits them, or to temporarily defer their studies without significantly impacting their progression.
But access without support is meaningless. A proactive student support model, which includes a dedicated student affairs advisor to a manageable number of students (280 students per advisor at Eduvos), helps monitor attendance, academic performance and wellbeing. These advisors are supplemented by a comprehensive student support ecosystem. When early warning signs emerge, such as poor attendance, low engagement or academic under-performance, immediate intervention follows. This data-driven approach to pastoral care ensures no one slips through the cracks.
Preparing students for tomorrow’s world
Career-aligned qualifications must do more than teach current skills. They must prepare students for jobs that don’t yet exist. Building and maintaining strong industry partnerships keep curricula relevant while developing the soft skills (agility, creativity, communication) that define employability in an evolving economy.
Eduvos combines career academics with industry practitioners, bringing real-world expertise into the classroom. Assessment methods use case studies and project-based scenarios to mirror workplace challenges, while work-integrated learning ensures graduates leave with practical experience, not just theoretical knowledge.
Crucially, instilling a culture of lifelong learning is paramount. In a world where career longevity depends on continuous upskilling, graduates must understand education doesn’t end at graduation, t evolves with their careers.
Public and private collaboration is key
The scale of South Africa’s higher education challenges demands collaboration. With youth unemployment at 46.1%, we cannot afford institutional silos or ideological divisions between public and private providers.
Private institutions contribute significantly to graduate outputs, yet we’re often excluded from national forums and policy discussions—a missed opportunity. We have capacity where public institutions are constrained, innovative delivery methods where traditional approaches fall short, and industry partnerships that could benefit the entire sector.
The solution isn’t competition between public and private institutions; it’s collaboration. By combining the scale and mandate of public institutions with the agility and innovation of private providers, we could create a higher education ecosystem that truly serves all South Africans.
The multiplying effect of education
What gives me hope is education’s exponential impact. Every graduate represents not just individual achievement but community transformation. First-generation graduates often become the foundation for generational change, with their success rippling through families and communities.
Africa’s rising youth population offers unprecedented opportunity, only if we equip young people with relevant skills and meaningful opportunities. The window for harnessing this potential is narrow, making inclusive, accessible higher education not just a social imperative but an economic necessity.
Counting everyone
Development succeeds only when it includes everyone. In South Africa, this means recognising there is no single path to success. Some students need evening classes to accommodate work schedules. Others require academic bridging to overcome historical disadvantages. Many need flexible payment options or intensive support systems.
The traditional higher education model serves a shrinking minority of students. If we’re serious about leaving no one behind, we must embrace models that meet students where they are—not where we think they should be.
As someone who had to work full-time to fund my studies, I understand the obstacles our students face. But I also understand their determination. By removing barriers, providing support, and creating multiple pathways to success, we do more than change individual lives—we transform communities and, ultimately, our nation.
The question isn’t whether we can afford to invest in inclusive higher education. It’s whether we can afford not to. In a world where knowledge drives prosperity, ensuring no one is left behind is not just a moral imperative. It’s economic survival.
Dr Mandi Joubert is Executive Head of Academics at Eduvos.
INSIDE EDUCATION
