Challenges of walk-ins in Higher
Education Institutions
Theuns Eloff
Vice-Chancellor
CEIA
24 October 2012
CONTEXT: Why waiting for the last
minute before registering?
Socio-economic matters
• 3 000 000 NEETs in SA (a reality check for the effectiveness
and efficiency of all education & training in SA?)
• More South Africans earn an income from welfare than from
employment
• Four out of ten South Africans are not employed; official
statistics claim an unemployment rate of 24.7%
•
Achieving sustainable livelihoods across the board remains a
challenge - poverty is a reality
•
More than 44% of workers in South Africa lives on less than
R20 a day
CONTEXT: Why waiting for the last
minute before registering?
Educational matters
• SA’s expenditure on education is 6% of GDP (comparable to
Germany and other highly developed countries).
• SA’s education system is ranked 133/142 by World Economic
Forum.
• Teachers in some schools only teach an average of 3.5 hours
per day.
•
50% attrition rate from making it from grade 1 to grade 12
•
Critical skills in literacy and numeracy keep on declining. No
of school leavers with Mathematics keeps on declining
• 80-90% of schools are ineffectively managed
The dilemma of walk-ins…
Expectations created by officials
and politicians of unlimited
access, no barriers as regards
meeting prerequisites, free
education …
Poorly managed schools, fraught
with union involvement providing
sub-standard education. High
levels of unemployment, financial
insecurities of school leavers …
The Minister’s cure for walk-ins in SA
HE
“Nzimande made the promise early this year following
a stampede at the University of Johannesburg, where
a mother was killed and 22 people injured while
students were trying to enrol.”
“Nzimande then promised the country that his
department would discontinue walk-in registrations
and centralise all applications by 2013.”
Sowetan, 10 Aug 2012
How would such a Central Application
System look like?
Central Clearing House system to see to smooth running of
application process
 An electronic information /database to channel applicants to
places still available in HEITs, and informing institutions of possible
applicants who meet entry requirements
 One single standardised application fee will be payable for all
university applications.

The same closing date for applications for all universities will
apply.

Once fully operational, the Central Application System would
also provide for applications for financial aid and student housing
through its channels.

To be implemented from October 2012 for 2013
In addition to CAS, also DHET’s Apply
now! Khetha campaign
Launched in April 2012, the DHET, DBA, SAQA and
NSFAS aim at providing
(i) suitable career guidance to school leavers;
(ii) information on minimum post-school entry requirements;
(iii) how best to pursue their studies to get into chosen career
paths
(iv) information on post-school institutions that could be
approached to pursue the studies
Reality check no 1…
Real good inititiatives, but the reality requests more …
The state of higher education in South Africa
• Capacity within DHET
• Efficiency of NSFAS
• More…
Complexities in establishing a Central Application System
•
•
•
•
•
•
Rushing in, only to retract later on because of unpracticabilities?
Is there a political agenda?
The sustainability of maintaining a central application system?
Buy-in on a practical level from universities?
Infringing on the autonomy of universities?
More…
Reality check no 2…
Real good inititiatives, but the reality requests more …
• We need to provide for 1.5 million university students in 18 years’ time
• The country still only has 23 universities (not all functional) and two more
in a planning phase, and approximately 50 FETs (not all functional)
• This infrastructure is by far not enough to counter the current pressure on
the system
• For the short term, walk-ins will still be with us, or the system will
lose them
• Strange as it may sound, but many opportunities emerge from this
pressing situation to open up access in more innovative ways,
to ensure success with new technologies, to see to proper
distance-learning offerings
What are to be done now?
Non-negotiables for a responsive and relevant HE sector:
 A common realisation that an ineffective school system would not
be able to provide students who can cope in a post-school sector.
 An understanding that a central application system and central
placement system (? Also on the cards?) is too simplistic an
approach to try and solve many HE problems that manifest
themselves in the walk-in matter
 At all institutions of higher learning: Good governance and
professional management
 And more. Such as proper and efficient student support ; students
taking up their responsibility of HE learning; an engaging employer
community…
In a nutshell
A quality-driven,
supportive and
balanced TL
Relevant &
environment in which
responsive PQM
the student
experience is NB
IT ALL REVOLVES AROUND THE WAY IN WHICH A
UNIVERSITY DOES ITS BUSINESS
Seamless &
integrated admission
processes according
to set milestones
underpinned with
good communication
Professional and
passionate
recruitment team
Dankie
Thank you
Ke-a-leboga