Madam Deputy Speaker, hon Members of Parliament, members of the public in the gallery, I would like to acknowledge the students' representative council, SRC, members from the University of the Western Cape, UWC; University of Cape Town, UCT; Cape Peninsula University of Technology, CPUT; and Stellenbosch institutions who earlier on interacted with the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, to share their experiences and what they think this debate should inform. As part of my debate, I would also reflect on what they have highlighted for us.
Access to tertiary institutions for the majority of the youth and the community at large is a critical matter, which all off us need to be worried about in terms of sustaining our economic growth.
The debate, Madam Deputy Speaker, takes place at a time when the year is coming to an end - a period when many institutions are at the point of preparing for enrolment for the year 2011.
However, most of the time, when you look at this time now and the following year, you will find that many students, instead of focusing on their studies, are worrying about the fee increments that are imposed on them. The fee increments are normally at a level which the majority of our people, learners and students at institutions can't afford. Instead of these students focusing on their studies, they become worried about what the future holds and whether it will be sustained because the fee increments are not at the levels that they can afford.
Madam Deputy Speaker, in Stellenbosch we have a situation, which the students have shared with us, where the proposed fee increase was 15%. Students had to fight to get it to 11%, which is still very high. When you look at the interest rates currently sitting at 6%, you could understand it if they are to put on an additional 2%. However, you can't justify having 11% as an increase. This is one of the means by which discrimination continues against our students.
Furthermore, we looked at the issues of institutional differentiation and mergers. One of the key goals of transforming the institutional landscape includes the creation of a more diverse and differentiated higher education landscape.
The aim was the diversification of institutional profiles and their capacity to address diverse needs and societal demands, which usually are associated with the expansion and massification of higher education, and the increasingly diverse profiles, competences and qualifications of students. With the expectation that they should fulfil a wide range of demands linked to the emergence of knowledge societies, new roles and tasks that go well beyond the traditional functions of teaching and research have developed.
It is important to note that in addition to widening access in order to produce a greater pool of qualified workers for the knowledge economy, business innovation, knowledge transfer and continuing professional development have become increasingly important dimensions of higher education activities.
Through the mergers, three institutional types were developed and were created to bring about differentiation amongst institutions of higher learning. It is important that we note that this included democracy, equity with redress, public accountability, academic freedom and quality. This was reflected in the White Paper.
Different institutional types provide choices to students; graduates from different programmes for a complex labour market; efficiency through specialisation; and different staffing arrangements.
According to the Higher Education South Africa, HESA, report entitled Pathways to a Diverse and Effective South African Higher Education System, Strategic Framework 2010-20, major achievements have been seen. African students now make up 63% of the public higher education student numbers, which rose from 58% in 2008. We also look at African female students, who now make up 56% of the total student number, which increased from 52% in 2000.
We further note the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, Unesco, report that defines the challenges we are faced with. Currently we have an enrolment that has increased by 1% from 15% in 2001; in 2010 we are sitting at 16%. This shows that we still have a lot of challenges.
The quite worrying factor is the high dropout rate of students in higher education institutions, particularly during the first year of their studies. This is a well-known factor and we have been interacting with this through the presentations that we have received even at the committee level. However, the other challenge that the institutions are faced with is the low graduation rates, and this together with the high dropout rates clearly shows that something is seriously amiss in our higher education system.
The poor students coming from different disadvantaged communities continue to suffer because the institutions by nature have been defined and designed to look at minority people and also to look at those who are coming from urban areas. Often you would find students from rural areas who are poor and can't adjust to the institution and therefore end up dropping out.
There are many issues, Madam Speaker, which we would also like to cover in terms of the institutions of higher learning having a responsibility to ensure that they are accessible to all South Africans. The key issue is that there is a need to really look in detail at the functions of these institutions and to be able to respond to the demand and the need. Student enrolment needs to respond to the country's demographics and the immediate needs of communities.
At times, you will find that institutions that exist within the rural communities do not respond to the challenges and needs of that particular community. You would find that the institutions that exist in the rural communities do not even have, for example, agricultural studies, which would contribute to the development of the economy of that environment.
Continually, an institution creates means tests as a form of entry to courses, which often become a method of continuing to exclude more students. You would find many young black students piling up in social studies and there are fewer of them in the scarce skills area. An example, Madam Deputy Speaker, is reflected in the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, CPUT, and has been shared with us by the students. They inform us that currently there has been a capping method in place in the commercial subjects.
Therefore, we request the assistance of the Minister to look at these matters. We call on the department to look at the best ways that can be used to continue to assist in reducing the discrimination against poor, deserving students. If this is not monitored, it can be quite a problem.
Madam Deputy Speaker, the need for comprehensive student support is critical at tertiary institutions. Firstly, these institutions by their nature have been designed to respond to smaller populations. It is further important for institutions to provide courses that are relevant to the communities and the environment they exist in.
Finally, it is important to look at the managerial programmes that are offered by business schools existing within these tertiary institutions. Many courses that are offered by these business schools are not affordable; their fees are so high that many of our people can't afford them.
In conclusion, I just want to reflect on some of the issues that were raised by the students. They raised the issue of academic freedom, transformation and the mergers. Regarding the mergers, we have received complaints that they are not effective, therefore students continue to suffer. However, on the issue of academic freedom, students raised the point that they continue to support academic freedom as long as they are not excluded through the process.
Again, students raised the issue of key private-public partnerships that need to be introduced as a form of comprehensive funding for students, because at times you would find that their postgraduate level is not funded. When they are interested in continuing to the postgraduate level they do not get the support they need to be able to meet the challenges.
Among these issues are the high, upfront payments requested by institutions. This is a major challenge that, most of the time, causes the high dropout rate of students in higher education institutions. As a result, they have requested us to say when we talk about access, let's not talk about them getting into the schools or the tertiary institution, but we must look at them being sustained in those institutions. We must look at them being able to graduate and move on to a higher postgraduate level. Thank you. [Applause.]