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Progress made on new universities

Higher education and training minister Blade Nzimande says he is satisfied with the progress being made towards building the University of Mpumalanga and Sol Plaatje University in the Northern Cape, reports Skillsportal. Will this mean better equipped graduates will be entering the workplace and in greater numbers?

"I am satisfied with the planning and preparations geared towards the start of construction of new buildings, in keeping with the commitment made by the President in his State of the Nation Address in June," said Minister Nzimande in a report on Skillsportal.

He said that building the new universities was part of expanding the tertiary system in South Africa to accommodate greater numbers of qualifying school leavers.

The statistics say that:

• University enrolment has almost doubled from 495 356 in 1994 to 953 373 in 2012, and
• Enrolments are expected to grow to approximately 1.1 million in 2019 and 1.6 million students by 2030, as envisaged in the White Paper for Post-School Education and Training.

"It is critical that this expansion be supported by quality infrastructure," said Minister Nzimande.

Let's hope that this means businesses can look forward to great numbers entering the workplace and better prepared workers.

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