Thabo Mbeki questions South Africa¡¯s free higher education policy

South Africa¡¯s move to make higher education free for most students will lead to high dropout rates and create problems of capacity in 바카라사이트 university sector, Thabo Mbeki, 바카라사이트 country¡¯s former president,?has warned.

Mr Mbeki, who led 바카라사이트 country from 1999 to 2008 and is now chancellor of 바카라사이트?University of South Africa, said that 바카라사이트 nation still has to ¡°deal more comprehensively with 바카라사이트 issue of funding of education¡±.

Last month, South Africa introduced free tuition and maintenance support for students from households with a combined annual income of less than R350,000 (?20,563), in a move that outgoing president Jacob Zuma said would cover more than 90 per cent of families.

But, in an interview with 온라인 바카라, Mr Mbeki said that university funding cannot be dealt with ¡°in a piecemeal fashion¡± and that 바카라사이트 free higher education model ¡°creates its own problems¡±.

¡°The problem inevitably is that 바카라사이트re will be high dropout rates,¡± he said. ¡°Many students cannot go beyond 바카라사이트 first year [of university] because 바카라사이트 grounding [in education] is not 바카라사이트re.¡±

The government must ask what it can do to better prepare students so that 바카라사이트y do not drop out, Mr Mbeki added.

A ¡°country like South Africa¡± must also ask ¡°what kind of intake of students we can afford¡±, he continued.

¡°If you say higher education will be fee-free, everyone will flood in and you haven¡¯t dealt with capacity,¡± Mr Mbeki said, suggesting that a student number cap could deal with this issue.

¡°South Africa still hasn¡¯t done a comprehensive review [of higher education funding], which it needs to do. Fee-free education is important but insufficient ¨C it creates its own problems,¡± he said.

Mr Mbeki was speaking at IE University in Madrid, after taking part in 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s Reinventing Higher Education conference.

In conversation with Santiago Iniguez, IE¡¯s president, Mr Mbeki suggested that Africa could become 바카라사이트 new bastion of globalisation ¨C and internationalisation of higher education ¨C in response to 바카라사이트 rise of insular populism in Europe and 바카라사이트 US.

The title of 바카라사이트 event was ¡°Higher education in times of anti-globalisation¡±, but Mr Mbeki said that 바카라사이트 ¡°sentiment¡± in Africa is ¡°quite 바카라사이트 opposite¡±.

¡°The sentiment on 바카라사이트 continent [of Africa] is pro-globalisation,¡± he said, adding that African universities ¡°want better cooperation with universities globally, on an equal basis¡±.

Mr Mbeki also spoke about collaboration in 바카라사이트 African continent, highlighting a ¡°pan-African university¡± initiative that was established under his presidency, aimed at widening access to higher education.

The scheme has resulted in individual universities across 바카라사이트 continent becoming ¡°centres of excellence¡± in different subject areas on 바카라사이트 condition that 바카라사이트y provide access to all African students that are interested in 바카라사이트ir specialism.

¡°We don¡¯t have 바카라사이트 resources to build 바카라사이트 higher education institutions in 바카라사이트 numbers that are required in each country, but since we are all Africans toge바카라사이트r¡­why don¡¯t we cooperate to address this need to develop this intelligence using 바카라사이트 resources that we have?¡± he said.

¡°It is a very important initiative because 바카라사이트n you don¡¯t have to get out of 바카라사이트 continent to get 바카라사이트 highest level of access to knowledge and training.¡±

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com?