UNIVERSITIES ENCOURAGED TO OFFER ONLINE CLASSES AMIDST SPACE SHORTAGES

Tue 21 January 2025:

Tebogo Letsie, chairperson of the higher education portfolio committee in Parliament, says universities should look into expanding their online offerings. This is as universities across the country face capacity constraints.

In light of the ongoing challenges, Letsie emphasised the need for universities to increase online classes to accommodate the growing number of students. He referenced UNISA’s current model as an example for others to follow.

“You can also look at the possibility of having more online campuses, like what UNISA is doing currently,” he said, in an interview with Newzroom Afrika.

“We must now explore the possibility of having more online classes. Brick-and-mortar, across the world, it’s not really the most appealing thing, because it’s very expensive to build up, especially in the South African context where we don’t have money to build new campuses.”

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Government’s plan for new campuses

To address capacity issues, the government is planning to build additional campuses. According to Letsie, the foundation is being set: “The sites have now been identified. They’ve now either been procured or are in the process of being procured. Given the slow growth of our economy and the zero budgeting that we went through immediately after Covid, it’s been very difficult to get new money to get those things.”

However, the department will only have a clear indication of available funds in February.

The need for additional spaces is dire. As per News24, 337 158 matriculants qualified for admission to Bachelor’s degree programs, but only 202 000 first-year places are available across the country’s 26 public universities. This highlights the urgency of finding alternative solutions.

Letsie stressed the importance of the private sector stepping in to assist the government in financing the education sector.

“Private sector must play a role, and must help the Government. They must invest in the education of this country because even themselves they are beneficiaries of the products that come from these institutions,” he said.

New campuses are expected to be built in Hammanskraal and Ekurhuleni to address these capacity issues. As students prepare to return to campuses next month, it remains to be seen when these plans will be put into motion.

With capacity constraints and funding challenges, the call for action in South Africa’s higher education sector has never been louder. The combination of online learning, new available learning spaces and private sector investment could be the key to unlocking a sustainable future.

By: Muskaan Ayesha

This article originally published in Salaamedia click here