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Crisis at South African universities

(NYTimes) One woman was trampled during a stampede of potential students applying to the University of Johannesburg Tuesday. Thousands of students and their parents lined up outside the school to for the 1,000 seats available. University officials said there were 20,000 more applicants than last year, resulting in 85 per cent of applications being denied. South African education minister Blade Nzimande instead encouraged students to apply to technical schools, where there are currently “50,000 vacancies at F.E.T colleges with diploma programs.

1.

U. of Johannesberg prepared for late rush

University of Johannesberg
According to the Registrar of the University of Johannesburg, the enrolment total for undergraduates and postgraduates for 2012 is 48,900. The enrolment total for first-year undergraduates is capped at 11,000 while the university conditionally admitted 17,000. The spaces are subject to final exam results and space availability depending on the number of returning senior students. The thousands of students that swarmed the university Tuesday were applying to register for the available seats.

2.

Students are the largest portion of the economically inactive

Statistics South Africa
According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey by Statistics South Africa, the labour force from July to September 2011 was comprised of 17,761 people, making the labour force participation rate 54.6 per cent. The unemployment rate was at 25 per cent. A year-on-year comparison showed that the number of unemployed persons increased by 46, 000 since 2008. Students are the largest share of the not economically active population, at 41 per cent.

3.

Graduate unemployment in the face of skills shortages

Development Policy Research Unit conference
Roughly 200,000 university graduates in South Africa are unemployed. Seventy-seven per cent of these unemployed graduates are between the ages of 15 and 34 suggesting that many are recent graduates. Critics say that technical skills shortages are to blame; this is reflected in the high enrolment numbers towards universities. There is a two to one ratio of university to Further Education and Training college students, even though unemployment for the former is three times higher.

4.

Jobs for young people

Centre for Development and Enterprise
The unemployment rate of people younger than 25 is twice the national average of unemployed workers in South Africa. The National Treasury proposed that a wage subsidy for young workers would encourage employers to hire younger inexperienced workers. The Treasury estimates that 133,000 more people would be employed by 2015. The round table discusses the economic plausibility and viability of the program.

5.

The effects of massification on higher education

Association of African Universities
Massification of higher education or mass enrolment in educational institutions in Africa has jumped from 12 per cent in 1999 to 60 per cent in 2005. Although mass student enrolment has occurred in many Western universities, increase in the student body has not been accompanied by an increase in institutional resources in South Africa. This leads to consequences for quality of teaching, educational outcomes and employability.