The processes of establishing the two new Higher Education institutions in South Africa is said to be making good progress as the ongoing feasibility studies that have been conducted have successfully concluded.
The steering committee that conducted the feasibility study consisted of various representatives from city officials, the South African Police Service (SAPS), The National Research Foundation as well as universities and education bodies.
Both of the new institutions are set to be based in Gauteng and will target criminology, science and technology and will be designed to alleviate the nation’s ongoing skills shortage.
University of Science and Technology
The University of Science and Innovation will be located in Ekurhuleni and the institute in Hammanskraal will be the “crime detection university”, which is meant to improve the quality of the SAPS’s general and specialised investigations.
During a parliamentary committee meeting, DHET Minister, Blade Nzimande said that he received the two feasibility studies which are set to be processed within the following financial year.
Nzimande also noted that while the feasibility studies have been successfully conducted, there are still concerns about available funds for the construction of the two new universities.
In another attempt to address the country’s skills shortage, during the committee meeting, the Minister reported that his department is currently developing an overarching Master Skills Programme (MSP) comprised of different sectoral skills which will concentrate on investigating areas experiencing skills shortages.
Nzimande added that eight out of the ten accredited universities now offer TVET-related programmes to improve the qualification of TVET college lecturers.
The committee also noted that student enrollment at universities increased from over 1.8 million in 2018 to over 1.9 million in the 2022 academic year
“There has been an increase in doctoral graduates since 2018 adding the hope that these graduates as academics will assist in the development of science.”
The committee adds that statistics also revealed that In 2022, 29% of university students enrolled in science and technology programmes at universities
