Protests have not spoilt private universities’ appetite for expansion
The protests over student fees that closed campuses across the country last year have not spoilt private education companies’ appetite for expansion. Advtech group academic director Felicity Coughlan says the protests did not have a direct effect on its institutions and operations. The strongest immediate effect may be a "delayed start to the year of the public institutions, meaning that some late enrolments on our campuses can be expected", she says. While private universities have historically accounted for a relatively small proportion of university enrolments, studies have shown they have been on the rise over the past decade, says Hendrik van Broekhuizen, a postdoctoral research fellow at Research on Socio-Economic Policy at Stellenbosch University. The Department of Higher Education and Training’s statistics on postschool education and training show that private institutions account for about 13% of all university enrolments. Van Broekhuizen says that while the demand for univ...
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