7. Recommendations The following formed part of the key recommendations: . Given the fact that poor students were mostly affected by financial exclusion and withholding of results, HEIs should not exclude any academically deserving students on this basis, and students should be afforded an opportunity to access their results whether they were indebted to the institution, . To improve career guidance, opportunities especially for learners from poor backgrounds, universities should undertake community engagement seriously and develop working relations with their nearby secondary schools, . The development of the next generation of academics project should be prioritsed by the Department for the cultivation of highly educated academics, particularly in preparation for the proposed universities in Mpumalanga and Northern Cape. . The role of universities in developing African languages as languages of tuition in HEIs should be given priority emphasis.