THE South African higher education system, despite all the challenges that it faces, remains the envy of the African continent. Of the 16 founder members of the recently established African Research Universities Alliance, six are from SA.Our universities attract students from across the globe and, in particular, from the Southern African Development Community. In 2013, 53,800 students from the region were studying at South African universities, with a further 11,922 coming from elsewhere in Africa.They come to SA to obtain qualifications that are internationally portable and that equip graduates to contribute to the social and economic development of their home countries.There is ample evidence that SA’s universities have served the nation well in the past two decades. No doubt, there are shortcomings, some glaring, and the pace of transformation has been slower than we might have wished for.More than 80% of students in higher education are black and almost 60% are women. For the in...
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