TSHILIDZI MARWALA
IN 2020, as the Covid pandemic gained pace, KPMG asked a few key questions. “Traditional universities are approaching a crossroads: do they transform into new kinds of entities? Optimise existing operations to enhance efficiencies and capabilities? Do nothing in the hope that if no rescue appears they will have time to decide what to do later? Or do nothing in the belief that they are invulnerable?” In the South African context, what are the implications of this juncture as we tackle education nuances that remain stark and largely unaddressed?
The term “permacrisis”, which has been declared word of the year, is defined as an extended period of instability and insecurity.
A permacrisis accurately characterises the state of South Africa’s higher education system.
There are inherent and implicit weaknesses, such as infrastructure deficits; appropriate staffing; modern and reframed curriculums and how they are financed so that universities can improve their performance; legacies of apartheid; and a pervasive and systemic digital divide that hinders progress. The impact of this permacrisis has been profound. Statistics indicate that the attainment of a tertiary qualification in South Africa is the lowest across all Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and partner countries.
Higher education in South Africa, with its shattered history, has not been a place of inclusion but rather a sector that is distorted in terms of mirroring the demographic characteristics of the country. As tertiary institutions, we have begun to address this through bridging courses and remedial programmes. Additionally, shifts towards a decolonised curriculum have been pivotal for our approach to education. Yet there is far more to reimagine than the current rhetoric around the future of education. The nexus between transformation and optimisation is the key.
Compounding the precarious state of higher education in South Africa are governance challenges. In 2017, the department of higher education & training found that there were serious challenges with regards to governance, administration and management of some universities that were destabilising and undermining the effective functioning of all the institutions.
According to research conducted by Sitwala Imenda, increased government control over the affairs of higher education institutions, resulting in a sense of diminished academic freedom alongside a growing gap in trust and perceptions between academic staff and administration staff, have led to this issue. There is clearly a need for vigilance and strong accountability from the governing structures of universities.
There is inadequate resourcing of the higher education sector. Despite a marked increase in numbers of students, there has not been a concomitant increase in funding. According to PwC, it is estimated that the cost of delivering university education is around R50bn annually. State contributions declined from 49% in 2000 to 40% by 2012, while the burden on students has increased from 24% to 31%.
Additionally, the National Students Financial Aid Scheme is buckling under the weight of a weak economic performance. Even as access is addressed in some instances, accommodation shortages remain a challenge. The spatial inequalities in our country have necessitated an emphasis on accommodation. Affordable and accessible student housing poses one of the most significant stumbling blocks to expanding access.
Then, of course, there are the difficulties in eschewing traditional modes of teaching and learning. The pandemic has served as a disruptor and hastened the breadth, speed and scope of the fourth industrial revolution. A changing world necessitates industries that are adaptable. Perhaps one of the greatest challenges we face is student retention. It is estimated that more than 40% of all first-year students in South Africa do not complete their degrees.
According to a government review of the first 25 years of democracy published in 2019, in the 2010 cohort 22% of students achieved a three-year degree within three years, only 39% had completed their degrees by the fourth year, and only 56% of students completed their degree by the sixth year. While this is in part because of financial constraints, academic performance plays a big role.
Through platforms such as Blackboard, we are able to track the performance of our students and delve into the particulars of each case. For example, we can identify if a student is only working on a mobile phone and submitting assignments at night. Based on this, we can implement interventions that address these challenges. The monitoring of academic performance also indicates where we can provide more support for students through teaching assistants and tutors. This allows us to tailor the academic programme, in a sense, to the needs of the individual. However, the vast knowledge gaps that our students face have to be addressed much earlier.
Higher education needs not only to embrace technology but also to ready students for a changing world of work. One solution that can be posited is the development and fostering of massive open online courses (MOOCs) and micro-credentials. This partly addresses some of the challenges around access to higher education and funding constraints. However, this requires a revisiting of our certification and policy environments.
Universities in Australia, for example, have experimented with offering stackable courses and micro-credentials that enable these big institutions to successfully compete with private online providers from a stronger institutional, professional and academic position. This has allowed students from all walks of life and professional backgrounds to engage in learning that supports their aspirations. There are also institutions in countries such as Brazil that enable indigenous communities to participate in higher education while sharing local knowledge and expertise with formal research communities, strengthening capacity for environmental and agricultural interventions that work.
As we combat these challenges, mental health issues have proved a stumbling block. According to a study conducted by Universities South Africa and funded by the South African Medical Research Council, 20% of students in the university system require mental health support, yet more than 70% of students with mental disorders are not getting help. Free psychological support services units have been an integral component on our campuses. At the University of Johannesburg, for instance, the Centre for Psychological Services and Career Development assists students in various ways, including a walk-in service, individual counselling sessions and a faster emergency response through a 24-hour crisis line. However, it is apparent that there are greater interventions required across the sector.
While this merely provides an overview of some of the starker challenges that the higher education sector faces, it demonstrates that universities cannot solve the myriad challenges alone. As the Public Servants Association astutely phrased it in 2016: “Fixing higher education is a daunting proposition.” Though, I would add, not an impossible task.
• Professor Tshilidzi Marwala is the outgoing vice-chancellor and principal of the University of Johannesburg. From March 1 next year, he will be a UN under-secretary-general and rector of the United Nations University.
