Electricity + Control March 2015

COMMENT

W earing another hat, I have just had to contend with the new intake to our University system and there are a couple of things that really should be noted. The first point - notwithstanding the massive drop out in our school systems between grades one and 12, it is patently obvious that we do not have enough capacity in our higher education sector to absorb the young people eager to grow and develop. To some extent this can be understood, but if we are to really give ourselves a chance of reaching the lofty heights to which we aspire as a nation, then we need to be strategic about how we propose to educate our youth. The second point is more worrying. There is a significant number of young South Africans who make the entry requirements of University, are accepted, and then simply do not have the resources to study. At some Universities this is a small proportion of the students; at others, it is a larger proportion. In other words a significant number of youngsters who have all the credentials to study, are not able to do so because there is not enough funding to support them. This is an absurd situation, and one that should trouble us deeply. A large portion of student support, of course, comes from the private sector, but the State makes available the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), which offers an opportunity to needy students to access a loan to cover their studies. However, there is not enough funding for students who nominally qualify for this support. Another troubling situation relates to the level of state funding that our Universities are receiving (ie via the funding line referred to as the State Subsidy). Let me be clear – it is a wonderful thing for a University to be self- sufficient and I strongly support the concept of private education. But the real issue relates to how a State manages the expectations of

its youth, and how it strives to achieve its own goals and objectives and those of its people.

Editor: Wendy Izgorsek

This should also trouble us deeply.

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We have a situation in South Africa where the State subsidy component has dropped so low in some cases that it is not beyond the realm of imagination that some of our large and competitive Universities may seriously consider privatising. Our top Universities are ranked very highly, but a University, driven by the agenda of a private institution, will quite rightly turn its attention to matters of finance and funding – at the potential risk of being able to address the pressing issues of our society. I consider it a deeply worrying trend that State subsidy is dropping, and support for needy students is not at the level it needs to be. Is this an indication that the State is effectively beginning to privatise our Universities? What is even more disturbing is the value that is attributed to corruption in our economy. If the numbers are correct – and we have no reason to doubt them – we could double the amount of funding available for higher education overnight. The funding is there.

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Electricity+Control is supported by:

Ian Jandrell Pr Eng, BSc (Eng) GDE PhD, FSAIEE SMIEEE

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, the editor, SAAEs, SAEE, CESA, IESSA or the Copper Development Association Africa

March ‘15 Electricity+Control

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