TAEGAN DEVAR

If you know someone heading off to university as the new academic year starts, congratulations to them. They are one of the few who made it through the hundreds of thousands of applications and now have a chance to upskill for the world of work.

According to the department of higher education and training’s 2024 Fact Sheet on Access to Tertiary Education in South Africa, the gross enrolment ratio (GER), the number of students enrolled at South African higher education institutions versus those who qualified for further study, was one in four (25.2%). This is significantly lower than countries such as China (67.4%), Brazil (56.8%) and Malaysia (40.9%).

It is deeply frustrating that every year we reach the same crisis point. All stakeholders know that from the time matriculants receive their trial results in November until February of the new year, many will be seeking places in further and higher education institutions. Yet, we still talk about “unexpected” strain on the system and chronic capacity constraints.

We’re stuck in a rut, repeating the same conversations and trotting out the same excuses, while young South Africans pay the price in lost opportunities.

In a recent Sunday Times Live article by Kgaugelo Gumede (Doors open for 2026’s new batch of students, but not without strain), Prof Letlhokwa Mpedi, vice-chancellor and principal of the University of Johannesburg, suggests that a different approach to education is required to enable greater access.

Many students have overcome significant barriers just to reach tertiary education, and when they arrive, they find that they don’t have the tools to navigate this new environment independently

He opines that alternative learning paths such as TVET colleges need to be considered in the same way that universities are. How can it be that in 2026 and at the highest levels, we’re still fumbling around with the same conversations we’ve been having for decades? It is unacceptable, and we’re letting our youth down.

And even if TVET colleges are considered in the way that the professor suggests, consider that nearly 1-million out of 1.5-million students who enrolled in business studies at TVET colleges over the past decade did not complete their programmes.

Then there’s the challenge of integration into the tertiary education system. The national cohort data and the education department’s 2023 report on post-school education and training in South Africa indicate that only around half of students complete their undergraduate degrees in the minimum time. Total completion over extended periods sees a substantial proportion dropping out or taking significantly longer to complete their studies.

For many young people, navigating this fast-paced, AI-driven, and the changing world as an adult with independent decision-making, accountability, budgeting, relationships, language and comprehension challenges, trauma, and conflict is a major struggle of its own. Many students have overcome significant barriers just to reach tertiary education, and when they arrive, they find that they don’t have the tools to navigate this new environment independently.

I’ve heard heart-breaking stories of students who live off a fraction of their bursary so they can send the rest home to their families; students who find residence life extremely distressing because they do not know how to navigate communal living; students who are, for the first time, having to learn how to use a computer or study in their second language.

The entire education system is failing our youth.

How can education institutions across the life of a child better support students, especially those from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, to succeed and to be better equipped for the world of tertiary education and, after that, the world of work?This is not something that can be solved with a 24‑hour campus counselling service or a week‑long induction programme. By then it is far too late.

It requires sustained, intentional effort to create in‑built systems over the full period of study that help young people gain confidence, feel that they truly belong, and build the skills needed to engage with the world. This must include learning about positive relationships, navigating conflict, research and academic writing, learning how to ask for help, single parenting, addiction, mental health, financial health, focusing on what is within one’s control, and building self‑confidence.

Action is long overdue. We owe it to young people, our future leaders, to revamp the entire education system

I often hear organisational leaders say they’re not just looking for young people with the right qualifications but people who can be proactive, take initiative, and are confident and willing to learn. This is something tertiary institutions must purposefully design into the learning experience and prepare young people to be better prepared as they enter workplaces or start on their own.

In addition, incentives for organisations to partner with further and higher education institutions to provide adequate learnerships, internships, and apprenticeship programmes are critical. Too many graduates complete their studies and then struggle to find the work experience they need to participate fully in the economy.

Action is long overdue. We owe it to young people, our future leaders, to revamp the entire education system. We urgently need to create the kind of supportive spaces they need to contribute and thrive. And if tertiary institutions feel that this is not part of their mandate, I would ask: what if every student at your institution felt truly supported and capacitated for the world of work?

Imagine what our campuses and our country could look like if young people were supported in this way. You wouldn’t just see more students completing their courses on time. You would see confident citizens contributing meaningfully to the country.