With about 1.1 million students –including first time entry enrolments – anticipated at universities for the 2024 academic year, accommodation shortages have already been identified at institutions.
Of the 1.1 million students, about 210 000 will be new and first time entry enrolment in the sector.
Universities South Africa (USAf), an umbrella body representing the 26 public universities in the country, tabled a number of accommodation concerns before the portfolio committee on higher education on Wednesday.
“There is a need for NSFAS to consider university accommodation and university-leased accommodation first before private accommodation to ensure that public infrastructure is appropriately utilised. There have also been concerns about the capacity of NSFAS to manage student accommodation allocations directly,” said USAf’s CEO Dr Phethiwe Matutu.
She said the R45 000 accommodation cap introduced earlier this year also caused mayhem and left many students in debt.
This debt contributed to the current student debt of more than R16.5 billion.
“We have calculated about R606 million outstanding in accommodation fees. This will impact on their 2024 registration,” said Matutu.
NSFAS and Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande announced last week that there was a student accommodation pilot project under way at TVET colleges and he expected it to be rolled out at universities in the 2024 academic year.
The entity’s board chairperson, Ernest Khosa, said the investigation into the project took different forms including direct consultations with stakeholders at a micro level and testing the idea.
More than 70% of universities were part of testing the idea.
“The other form was gathering all accommodation providers to test it further and it was met with overwhelming support. The pilot project is part of a study that is why we did not decide to wake up and just take over accommodation. This will be done in phases and has started at TVETs, so many lessons have already been taken out of that. It will assist to perfect and implement it at university level.
Unlike the direct payment system, this involved real testing of ideas. More details on the project will be publicly communicated before the end of this academic year,” said Khosa.
Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) spokesperson Lauren Kansley said shortage of accommodation was a perennial issue for all universities but they were on a progressive drive to fill the shortfall.
“We are one of the universities that houses the largest percentage of students in campus accredited and unaccredited accommodation. The gap in the allocation and the cost of the NSFAS funding has created issues for the university this year and we continue to liaise with the relevant stakeholders to ensure students understand the contracts that they sign with landlords if a shortage is anticipated,” said Kansley.
UCT spokesperson Elijah Moholola said the university does not have sufficient on-campus accommodation to cater for the growing student population.
“UCT aligns with the concerns as expressed by USAf on this particular matter,” he said.
UWC’s spokesperson Gasant Abarder said the need for university accommodation was an ongoing issue.
“UWC is constantly exploring models and options to secure additional accommodation to deal with the demand for student accommodation.
It is an issue that requires the collaboration of a number of stakeholders, both in the government and in the private sector,” he said.
Stellenbosch University’s Martin Viljoen said they shared the same sentiments expressed by USAf on behalf of all public universities.
Cape Times