Universities South Africa

The year 2022 was uneventful in comparison to the preceding period, but not without its uncertainties and challenges for the sector. The macro environment in which universities operate continues to be both exciting and demanding. Among the challenges reported by universities in the year under review are those relating tothe administration of student funding. These included late confirmations of students approved for funding and concerns about budget shortfalls to fund all eligible students. This somewhat negatively affected the pace of registration processes at some universities.USAf continued to work consultatively with the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Science and Technology, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), and the National Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to contribute positively to finding solutions to the various challenges and to continue to build a strong university sector in South Africa. As USAf, we are committed to sustaining constructive engagement with the Ministry, DHET and NSFAS, to facilitate access and success for students coming to our universities, especially first-time-entering students. 

At a special meeting convened to respond to the pandemic COVID 19 crisis, the USAf Board of Directors agreed that universities have a role to play in deepeningdemocracy and social cohesion, and in addressing key transformation challenges facing our society. We also concluded that at the heart of the July 2021 unrest was a society that defaults to violence as a standard for expressing discontent.While we could collectively address short-term solutions to the challenge, we conceded that resolving structural long-term issues of poverty, social inequality, and unemployment was not the competency of the university sector. We also concurred that matters of community policing and state security were beyond our sphere of influence. However, we unanimously agreed on a need to use our knowledge and research to advance and support national efforts aimed at addressing the underlying causes of social discontent, most of which results from many forms of exclusion and unequal access to basic needs.As we wind up the year, I reiterate our commitment, as the Board of USAf, to make good on our collective undertaking in this regard. The July 2021 civil unrest once again underlined the importance of universities becoming embedded in, and gearing themselves to respond to, their local contexts and communities.

 It was the first time that USAf had to operate within the context of a pandemic, strategically and logistically. Nothing could have equipped me to lead USAf through this unprecedented crisis and it was achieved by simply doing what needed to be done. In retrospect, I see that my first year at the helm of this organisation has enriched me in unexpected and bountiful ways.Although we have always been aware of the inequality of our system, this was magnified when CoViD-19 struck in March 2020. Trading conditions in an already struggling economy, deteriorated further and the pandemic continues to exacerbate the existing disparities in our society. We will, for a long time, continue to feel the impact of this pandemic on day-to-day operations of our universities. Early in the pandemic, research indicated that 50% of our students were having trouble taking up emergency online learning. However, we, as the Board of Directors, undertook to ensure that no student would be left behind and we remained steadfast in our commitment until the end of the academic year.  The year 2020 will be remembered as a period in which the CoViD-19 pandemic applied a severe stress test on society. Our 26 public universities were not spared. Its impact on their staff and students continues to be profound. In the end, the challenge was to understand how best to complete the 2020 academic year in sucha way that the process remained maximally inclusive and to ensure that the quality of teaching, learning and research were not compromised. But this was also an opportunity to rethink ..

The end of the financial year (31 December 2019) marked the end of the era of USAf Strategic Framework, 2015-2019, guiding our strategic choices and activities for the past five years. It also marked the last day of my tenure as the Chairperson of the USAf Board. It is, therefore, fitting that I report on 2019 within the context of the five-year strategic planning horizon.Back in 2015, our strategic framework undertook to:a) inform the policy agenda and develop policy positions, seeking to strengthen South African universities to embark upon quality teaching and learning, research, and community engagement activities;b) support universities to effectively perform the functions enumerated above;c) provide value-added services to member institutions;d) facilitate collaboration between USAf and key stakeholders, including government, parliament, business, the science community, and international partners in pursuit of USAf’s objectives; ande) support the internationalisation agenda of South Africa’s universities.Looking back over the past five years, we can only be proud of the track record we have built up as an organisation.

Initiated by the Research and Innovation Strategy Group in 2015 and following a grant from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the study was commissioned to the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology(CREST) at Stellenbosch University for implementation during 2017. CREST presented the study findings to USAf in February 2018. The study identified the following:- The profile of lecturers and senior lecturers in South Africa’s university system- The proportion of lecturers and senior lecturers who are research-active; that is, publishing and actively seeking research funding- Key drivers in South Africa’s public university system that prevented young scholars from progressing towards becoming active researchers- Key enablers for, and impediments to, building a pipeline of emerging researchers.Since this study’s findings were published, the sector has had two engagements dedicated to them. The initial feedback meeting was held on 8 March 2018, where Prof Johann Mouton, head of CREST, presented headline findings to senior executives and heads of research in public universities. The latter engaged with and gave inputs to the findings in time for the report to be finalised and submitted to the DST, which had funded the study. Stakeholders next engaged on this issue at the 6th Biennial Research and Innovation Dialogue from 31 May to 1 June. However, the time allocated at the Dialogue alongside other matters proved insufficient to do justice to the issue. It was then decided to dedicate attention to this matter at yet another platform, which would probably take place in 2019. The Emerging Researchers Study did however deliver answers to our desktops. The ..

The 2017 academic year was much less turbulent than the previous two years, even though a high level of instability persisted. Student activism returned to being much more campus-based with financial aid and student accommodation being the key issues. Having said this the burning issues of ‘free education for all’ and the demandfor a ‘quality, decolonised education’ were yet to be addressed. The announcement by the state President, of the new bursary system for ‘poor and working class students’ on the 16th of December 2017, came as a surprise.While there are deep concerns about the sustainability of this new scheme in student funding, it does provide a powerful impetus for social mobility and greater stability in the future. The perennial preoccupation of Universities South Africa (USAf) with long-term sustainability of our public institutions dominated its activities in 2017, at a time when the level of instability in our system was high. Thisclearly manifested in the priority projects and programmes adopted or continued in the year under review. Of the many milestones that we realised through engagement in the year under the spotlight, I single out only a few instances below while also shedding light on new initiatives.

It has been an extraordinary year for the higher education sector, and probably one of the most arduous periods for vice-chancellors and university communities in post-democratic South Africa.It is without a doubt the year in which the persistent underfunding of universities was brought to the fore through an approach that resulted in intense scrutiny from all sectors, both within and beyond the borders of South Africa. The university system was placed under severe threat and were it not for the strong leadershipshown by members of Universities South Africa (USAf), vice-chancellors and other societal actors, the collapse of the system would have been imminent. However, despite the turbulence, the state’s cap on fee increases and the particularly violent protests that plagued our campuses, the doors of higher learning remain open today. While uncertainty about the future funding of the sector remains, we must acknowledge that the chronic underfunding of the sector has been a long-term challenge that in due course would have resulted in universities’ becoming increasingly unsustainable. We remain optimistic that the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Higher Education Funding will directly address this crucial historical socioeconomic challenge, which ultimately impacts on the development of our country and the continent, and society as a whole.One of the key strengths of USAf was our ability to efficaciously make common, detailed submissions to the Presidential Commission and the Centre for Higher Education (and by extension the Department of Higher Education and Training), with appropriate sets of recommendations regarding what we determined were acceptable funding solutions for university education.

The evolution from HESA to USAf in July was important because it placed firmly on the agenda our commitment to create a representative voice for South Africa's 26public universities. We resolved to do things differently, to make an impact, to proactively participate in the national discourse and to establish an organisation that has the ability to act in the best interests of the South African academy. We developed a strategic framework that emphasised the need for universities to undertake quality teaching and esearch; to secure adequate resources for universities; to significantly contribute to the socio-economic and cultural development of the country; and to enable internationalisation of our universities so that South Africa benefits from a mobile global student and academic talent pool. We further committed to promoting the value of universities to the economy and to ensuring that higher education policy is evidence-based and informed by high quality research. Finally, we agreed that we should strive to ensure that deserving students gain access to our universities regardless of their social, cultural and economic background.

The strategic operational plan for the year, therefore, prioritised the following activities, amongst others:• more robust lobbying and advocacy towards adequate funding for the university sector;• development of a HESA response to the report of the Ministerial Committee for the Review of the Funding of Public Universities;• development of a HESA position in response to the Ministerial recommendation for Fee-Free University Education in South Africa;• formulation of HESA’s position on the findings of the empirical Study on Remuneration of Academic Salaries;• a transformation template for the university sector;• the 3rd Biennial Research and Innovation Conference;• promotion of platforms for collaboration on research and innovation with other higher education systems in the world;• laying a foundation for a National Graduate Destination Survey (NGDS);• advocacy towards a differentiation policy for South Africa;• continued advocacy towards the dissolution of the Committee of University Principals (CUP), the Matriculation Board (MB), and the Committee of Technikon Principals;• strengthening support to the university system through:- leadership capacity-building through the Higher Education Leadership and Management (HELM) Programme; - capacity-building for university registrars;- continuous review of the minimum requirements for admission to university studies, in the context of the designated subjects list;- provision of career information to learners aspiring to university study;- continuing to prevent the spread of HIV & AIDS in the higher education sector, to reduce its impact, and improve the quality of life of all students, academic and administrative staff within our member institutions; and- continuing collaboration with the DHET towards the implementation of the Central Applications ..

This Annual Report is a summary of the work and performance of HESA during the 2013 financial year and is a reflection of an institution growing from strength to strength, able to play its part in strengthening South Africa’s public university system.The changes witnessed in 2013 include the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Jeffrey Mabelebele, whose mandate includes driving focused organisational renewal and strengthening membership engagement. To this end, at its workshop in July 2013, the Board reflected on the state of the organisation, the challenges it is facing, and the strategies and approaches it has to employ in response to these challenges. Of primary importance for HESA, the Board emphasised, is the repositioning of the organisation to serve the collective interests of all member institutions and to become a truly representative body of universities in South Africa. To this end, a strategic plan for the organisation will be finalised during 2014. Such a plan will represent a ‘step-change’ with an emphasis on foregrounding the role of universities in national development. These changes reflect new strategic directions and an organisational ethos in line with a renewed vision, mission and values.

“ What matters is that the higher education sector is churning over problems with the collective intent of providing solutions – not only for itself but for those who most need reprieve from their present sub–standard conditions.“  Sometimes the fruits of this year’s labour are presently in incubation and require more time to come to fruition. Sometimes a Working Group can produce innovativesolutions within a couple of months. What matters is that the higher education sector is churning over problems with the collective intent of providing solutions – not only for itself but for those who most need reprieve from their present sub–standard conditions. With limited resources during the year, the Executive Office has displayed immense tenacity, temerity and dedication in ensuring that the multiple projects that needed to be surfaced and resolved have had ample opportunity to achieve resolution. I owe a great debt of gratitude towards them and thank them for their hard work in the face of a broad and complex agenda.