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0 viewsOn January 10, 2012, a tragic stampede took place at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). The desperate attempt of applicants, determined to submit their applications before cut-off, resulted in the fatality of Gloria Sekwena, a mother accompanying her hopeful child to UJ. Approximately 20 others were injured in the stampede.
The New York Times has stressed that this incident embodies the crisis in South African higher education. Simply put, there are too many applicants competing for too few positions at South Africa’s premier educational tertiary institutions. At UJ, 85000 students applied, or attempted to apply, for only 11000 positions.
Minister of Education, Blade Nzimande, conceded that there aren’t enough places at universities, highlighting alternatives to universities that are as beneficial for a successful education. In a press release, he said, “At the moment, we are sitting with 50000 vacancies at FET colleges, with diploma programs for students to follow.”
FET stands for Further Education and Training. FET colleges offer a variety of vocational and occupational training options for students. Additionally, FET colleges provide school level vocational instruction to high-school age students, who would qualify with a National Certificate (Vocational) – the technical equivalent of a matric education. The principle difference between FET colleges and universities is that the former is an education geared toward a specific skill, whereas the latter is a general education.
In the Western Cape, there are six FET colleges, namely, College of Cape Town, False Bay College, Northlink College, West Coast College, Boland College and South Cape College. These colleges are spread out over 35 campuses around the province with an estimated 15-20000 students currently enrolled. If the numbers from UJ are anything to go by, the numbers enrolling at FET colleges are still tiny compared to university applicants (regardless of acceptance) throughout the country.
Keith Loynes, a representative of the Western Cape Education department, stressed that there are plenty of very generous government sponsored funding options available at FET colleges. These cover tuition, accommodation and travel costs and are allocated according to a financial needs basis. “However,” said Mr Loynes, “many bursaries are not utilized.” In fact, due to low enrolments, the money that would have been spent on bursaries has to be sent back to the central government.
Martie Kraamwinkel, a long time educator of South Africa’s youth (in both schools and at FET colleges), said that the “purpose of education is preparing people for the labour market.” Mr Loynes has said that the nation’s FET colleges are “well equipped and recapitalized” for the development of the skills needed by South Africa’s economy.
In most modern economies, vocational training is the norm. The development of particular skills, such as electrical engineering (which is offered by FET colleges), is a prerequisite for economic growth and as such most people in the developed world attend FET-type institutions – not universities. In South Africa, the opposite holds true. Many young people receive no form of higher education whatsoever, and those who do mistakenly see university as the only path to success. This explains why there is an over-abundance of university applicants and a deficit of FET enrolments.
This disparity is largely the result of public perception and ignorance. FET colleges are seen to accommodate individuals who aren’t sufficiently academic and are considered to be the institutions of last resort. However, this is far from the truth. Technical and vocational colleges offer the specific skills-based education required for economic growth – which is exactly what South Africa needs, given the continuous demand for skilled workers. And with plenty of underutilized funding options, individuals who go through the FET system could, theoretically, be educated for free.
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