You cannot force a square peg into a round hole, as the saying goes.
And yet, at the start of each year , we are confronted with the same images of queues of young people outside the gates of universities and colleges in the (often vain) hope of securing a coveted place.
A place that cannot be guaranteed, because the number of qualified applicants vastly exceeds the number of available spots.
The numbers are stark. Last year there were more than 340,000 bachelor passes recorded countrywide. The number of available spots at public universities? Approximately 235,000.
Likewise, the demand for education and training at the country’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, Community Education and Training colleges continues to outstrip capacity.
As the country celebrates a record 88 per cent National Senior Certificate pass rate and lauds the extraordinary collective effort of learners, educators and families – there is the question of what awaits these learners next.
Having done all that was expected of them; finishing school with good marks, they apply for a university place, then wait hopefully. And year after year the system responds with rejection, or a waiting list.
It is time for an honest reflection on the result of this: frustration, wasted potential, and a growing sense of betrayal.
This is not a new problem. It is a structural one, and it requires structural solutions.
Continuing to rely primarily on brick-and-mortar expansion doesn’t just continue to exclude thousands of capable learners each year; it is also fundamentally dishonest – knowing as we do that the door cannot open wide enough.
As a country we are not keeping up with the times, embracing alternatives to physical tertiary institution attendance including EdTech and e-learning.
The question is not even whether we should, but whether we can afford not to.
Across the globe, from the US to Brazil to China to Singapore to South Korea, countries are investing heavily in EdTech to deliver learning and meet diverse educational needs. As one paper recently noted, India for example has a growing EdTech market “fuelled by a young population, increased internet penetration and a rising demand for affordable educational solutions.”
Online platforms like Coursera, edX and Udacity are enabling students to get recognised certifications from some of the world’s most reputable universities outside of the traditional degree programme.
In South Africa, only a handful of institutions of higher learning offer fully online or hybrid/blended learning options for undergraduate or postgraduate studies, notably UNISA, the University of Johannesburg, the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, and Nelson Mandela University.
Contrast this to Brazil where distance learning accounted for over 4 million student enrolments in 2022-2023, or to the US where currently more than 5 million college students are studying entirely online.
Nor can we justify being behind this curve by arguing these are uncharted waters.
The COVID-19 pandemic, disruptive as it was, offered an important lesson. Faced with unprecedented constraints, our higher education institutions demonstrated that blended and online learning models are both viable and effective when properly supported.
Universities and TVET colleges adopted multimodal approaches that combined online platforms, printed materials, radio and television broadcasts.
Through interventions such as the zero-rating of academic websites, partnerships to provide affordable data, and the distribution of learning devices, academic programmes were completed under the most difficult conditions imaginable. These were not temporary stopgaps. They were proof of concept.
Digital transformation in education is no longer optional; it is essential to equity, access and sustainability.
We cannot keep trying to force square pegs into round holes, the system needs to change. This is not about embracing innovation for innovation’s sake; it is about producing the workforce our economy needs and not labouring on with outdated approaches to educational delivery that perpetuate exclusion.
Blended learning — that integrates face-to-face teaching with online and digital delivery — allows institutions to expand enrolments without compromising quality. It enables students in rural areas, working students and those with caregiving responsibilities to participate meaningfully in higher education. Most importantly, it shifts the system from one that selects a few, to one that includes the many.
In an article published late last year on the future of higher education in Singapore it was noted that distance learning programmes ‘remove geographical barriers, enabling learners in remote areas or those with mobility challenges to access quality education.’
As Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies, I have seen first-hand how strategic investment in ICT infrastructure, coupled with partnerships between government, telecommunications providers and educational institutions, can lower costs and expand access. Over time, the committee has prioritised these interventions precisely because connectivity is no longer a luxury — it is a prerequisite for participation in modern education and the digital economy.
However, technology alone is not enough. What is required now is decisive leadership and institutional commitment. Universities must move beyond treating hybrid learning as an emergency response or a peripheral offering. It must become a central pillar of teaching and learning strategies, supported by curriculum redesign, lecturer training, student support systems and sustainable funding models.
This is a collective responsibility.
Government must continue to create an enabling policy and infrastructure environment.
Regulatory overhaul will be inevitable, including the manner in which online programmes are accredited.
Blended or fully online learning undergraduate or postgraduate programmes that are accredited must be able to qualify for NSFAS funding.
Institutions must innovate boldly.
There will also have to be a societal mid-shift away from the belief that tertiary education is confined to being physically present in a lecture theatre; or that an online qualification carries less weight.
Big Tech must be on board to support the expansion of the digital infrastructure that is needed to deliver more EdTech solutions at scale.
Civil society must hold us all accountable to the principle that access to education should not be determined by geography or income.
Education remains the cornerstone of South Africa’s social and economic development. If we are serious about building an inclusive, skilled and competitive society, we must ensure that every matriculant has a viable pathway forward — whether through university study, vocational training or digitally enabled learning.
The class of 2025 has done its part. It is now up to us to ensure that opportunity does not end at the school gate.
Ms Khusela Sangoni Diko, MP, is the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies.