KwaZulu-Natal Business 2016-17 edition

OVERVIEW
Education and training
The education sector in KwaZulu-Natal needs to grow.
The desire to learn is strong in KwaZulu-Natal. For the 2016 academic
year the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) received
more than 84 000 applications for the 8 770 spaces available
in its first-year undergraduate programmes.
With 30% of South Africa's school pupils in its schools, the province's
results have a big bearing on how the nation fares. Recent results in
the matriculation examination (Grade 12) have caused consternation,
coming off a high of almost 80% success (in 2013) to just over 60% in
2015. The Premier of the province has set up a task team to come up
with solutions, most of which involve teacher training.
There are two universities in addition to two universities of technology
in KwaZulu-Natal, while the national distance university, the
University of South Africa (Unisa), has a presence in five locations.
UKZN has close to 40 000 students studying on five campuses
in two cities. Greater Durban hosts Howard College, Berea (environment,
engineering, law, humanities) and the Nelson Mandela School
of Medicine at Congella. The UKZN administration and the Graduate
School of Business are based at Westville (also science, engineering,
health), whereas the Edgewood, Pinetown, campus focusses
on education.
The Pietermaritzburg campus offers a broad academic programme
but its specialities are fine art, theology and agriculture. UKZN also
hosts the National Research Foundation.
The most popular first-year courses applied for in 2016 were Social
Work, Education and all programmes in Health Sciences (Medicine,
Nursing, Optometry, Pharmacy, Sport Science, Physiotherapy).
In 2014 KZN published the most 'output units' of any South African
university for the third year in a row. It has the second-most postdoctoral
students in the country and in 2015 awarded all five researchers
of its South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChi) programme to
women researchers.
The Durban University of Technology (DUT) has six faculties operating
in seven campuses in Durban and in the Midlands. DUT is
well-known for its outstanding graphic-design school and offers one
of only two chiropractic programmes in South Africa.
Varsity Colleges has campuses in Durban North, Westville and
Pietermaritzburg.
SECTOR HIGHLIGHTS
The University of KwaZulu-
Natal is top of the class in
outputs.
• Training colleges have
been re-branded.
• JSE-listed private schools
are a growth sector.
Training
National and provincial government
are investing heavily in
training. Various provincial government
departments awarded
about R316-million in support
and bursaries for more then
5 000 students across the province.
There is a National Student
Aid Financial Aid Scheme which
is under pressure following a
concentrated protest across
South Africa against high university
fees. Bursaries are also
available under the National
Skills Fund.
What for several years were
known as Further Education and
Training Colleges (FET) have now
been re-branded as Technical
and Vocational Education
and Training (TVET) Colleges.
KwaZulu-Natal has nine such
colleges with a total enrolment
of about 80 000 students.
KWAZULU-NATAL BUSINESS 2016/17
104