Universities South Africa
USAF
USAf responds to misleading claims of corruption and poor governance at SA universities
In an era where news platforms have democratised opinion sharing, South Africa’s media and information landscape has become increasingly saturated with commentary. However, much of...
Universities South Africa commends the Minister of Higher Education and Training for a bold vision and action plan
Universities South Africa commends the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mr Buti Manamela, for his comprehensive and forward-looking response to the challenges facing the...
Bridging the gap between education and employability
South African students at institutions of higher learning continue to face barriers – not only of financial exclusion – but limited access to work-integrated learning...
AI debates concerning universities – ‘the robots are marking each other!’
The signs are unmistakable: learning and teaching at institutions of higher learning will never be the same in the age of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence...
How to ensure a sustainable student funding scheme
The higher education sector is at a critical crossroads as it adapts to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. The local context demands...
Universities South Africa’s guide to strengthening system-to-system partnerships
Universities South Africa (USAf), in collaboration with the International Education Association of South Africa (IEASA), recently published a Position Paper on System-to-System Collaborations – a...
Two decades of transformation, resilience and leadership in South African higher education
At USAf’s 20th anniversary commemoration on 11 July, Chief Executive Officer, Dr Phethiwe Matutu, underscored why university mergers in the post-apartheid era were vital to...
Twenty years of existence celebrated with pride, affirming USAf’s role in higher education
Friday, 11 July 2025, marked a special day for Universities South Africa (USAf) as staff gathered at an off-site venue to commemorate 20 years of...
A 4IR Environmental Scan highlights an urgent need for universities to adapt to 4IR demands
The urgent need for universities to align with the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) emerged as a common thread across all speaker contributions...
South Africa’s 4IR-aligned educational reforms must address inequalities and the youth unemployment crisis
As South Africa contemplates integrating technology into higher education teaching and learning, it must do so with full awareness of the country’s deeply challenged education...
Universities could respond more effectively to 4IR demands through collaboration between the better-resourced universities and their disadvantaged counterparts
Although the readiness of South African universities to integrate 4IR technologies into their curricula is questionable, leading institutions’ capabilities provide fertile ground for the entire...
System-to-System Collaborations – A Position Paper
The System-to-System Collaborations position paper, published by Universities South Africa (USAf) in collaboration with the International Education Association of South Africa (IEASA), focuses on collaboration...
How MUT became a beacon for South Africa’s student entrepreneurship movement
The choice of the Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) as the host for the announcement of Universities South Africa (USAf) -- Absa Bank R5.5 million...
From lab to market: how SA students are building tomorrow’s solutions today
In typical Durban humidity that left hair care products powerless, seven young South African entrepreneurs proved that innovation does not need perfect conditions but passion,...
Four KZN universities showcase diverse approaches to creating a provincial powerhouse for innovation and job creation
KwaZulu-Natal is emerging as a dynamic regional entrepreneurship ecosystem, with its four public universities demonstrating that collaboration, rather than competition, can drive unprecedented innovation and...
Study reveals an urgent need for coherence in the curriculum reform efforts of SA’s universities
How is curriculum transformation conceptualised and implemented across South Africa’s public universities? Is there a common understanding of what curriculum transformation is and why it’s...
Decoloniality, language and student voice must shape curriculum change, senior academics say
Curriculum transformation cannot be reduced to policy compliance, reporting templates or sector-wide checklists. It demands honest confrontation with power, politics, teaching and learning practices, and...
Curriculum transformation must reflect context, challenge power and be inclusively consultative
For universities to drive meaningful curriculum transformation, they must operate with clarity, intentionality and a willingness to engage directly with entrenched power structures. This was a...
The CHE calls for sector-wide ownership of curriculum transformation that moves beyond compliance
Higher education institutions must take full ownership of curriculum transformation and help shape a forward-looking standard that surpasses compliance. This was the call from the...
Advancing academic excellence; A case for transformation and internationalisation in South African universities
In recent public discourse, questions have been raised about South African universities prioritising hiring foreign academics over local talent. These claims, though understandable in the...
Institutional AI Policies and Guidelines in South Africa for Learning and Teaching
Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT have become common on South African campuses, but their rapid uptake has necessitated responses concerning governance, training and assessment...
A discussion from a LUNCH & LEARN webinar on Institutional AI Policies and Guidelines
The panel presentations at the LUNCH & LEARN webinar of 22 May, titled “Institutional AI Policies and Guidelines in South Africa for Learning and Teaching,”...
Universities South Africa delivers a response to irresponsible commentary on public universities
Universities South Africa has issued a response to the scathing attack on public universities by Mr Dawie Roodt, the economist, published in BusinessTech, the online...
Reflecting, Renewing, and Realigning: A baseline study of conceptions of curriculum transformation in South African universities
Universities South Africa (USAf), through its Teaching and Learning Strategy Group (TLSG), and the Council on Higher Education (CHE), through its RELATE project, collaborated on...
Senior academics’ insights shared at the postgraduates and AI workshop
Universities and AI are such a hot topic, generating so many differing views and queries that a recent webinar on it triggered a stream of...
Open student engagement about AI would be more beneficial than policing them on its use – a senior Rhodes University scholar advises
Professor Sioux McKenna, a professor of Higher Education Research at Rhodes University, recently led an online workshop titled Future-Proofing Postgraduate Education in the Age of...
Emerging researchers and scholars encouraged to use available support tools for success – USAf CEO
"We cannot claim to have covered all the bases concerning the support and empowerment of early career researchers and academics, but we are getting there,"...
A four-way public-private-international partnership strengthens entrepreneurship education in SA for national advancement
The fruition of the Embedding Entrepreneurship in Curriculum workshop series, notwithstanding the strained political relations between the United States and South Africa, demonstrates the power...
Integrating entrepreneurship into higher education curricula should unlock young talent to drive economic growth
Universities South Africa (USAf), through its Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme, just started a series of regional workshops to equip university leadership, faculty,...
TLM CoP meeting of 9 April 2025
The USAf community of practice for the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics (TLM CoP) had its first meeting of the year on 9 April 2025,...
Why it is beneficial to measure an applicant’s academic readiness for university
There is an expectation gap between high school and university life, which arises from differences in academic expectations and the level of independence required at university. First-year...
The challenges facing first-year mathematics students transitioning from high school
Transitioning from high school mathematics to university mathematics can be daunting for many first-year students, possibly leading to lower success rates. These gaps and the...
CoPAL contemplates driving a joint language conference with other associations
The Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of African Languages (CoPAL) of Universities South Africa (USAf) is exploring the possibility of convening an...
Postgraduate study leaders from SA universities assemble to share ideas
The round-table layout at the recent colloquium on Exploring Preparedness for Postgraduate Studies was distinct from the typical straight-seat-rows format that people tend to expect...
National Plan targets versus sector realities — Dr Nomakwezi Mzilikazi highlights provocative tensions
At the recent Enabling Quality Postgraduate Education (EQPE) colloquium, Dr Nomakwezi “Kwezi” Mzilikazi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships at Rhodes University, told...
Targeted PhD numbers raise many questions at a recent colloquium
Numbers are always a key focus in any discussion on postgraduate students: the currently enrolled numbers vs those to which the university sector aspires, within...
Happy students with well-being are more likely to graduate, says Professor Liesel Ebersöhn
The fruit bowl at the University of Pretoria’s Centre for the Study of Resilience is not incidental. It is an intentional part of the Centre’s...
AI may not do your literature review, but it will identify the gaps, says Dr Nompilo Tshuma
At the recent colloquium on Exploring Preparedness for Postgraduate Studies, Professor Sioux McKenna of Rhodes University interrupted keynote speaker Dr Nompilo Tshuma as she stood...
Research leaders develop an action plan for students and the sector’s well-being
One of the key features of the recent Exploring Preparedness for Postgraduate Studies colloquium was a two-hour breakaway session in which research leaders and organisational...
Road Fatality Interventions
Submitted by University of Cape Town. Summary of the impact: Road fatalities were labelled a pandemic as early as 1973 (British Medical Journal,...
Universities urged to support the multilingualism study
Universities South Africa’s Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of African Languages (CoPAL) Chairperson, Professor Nobuhle Hlongwa, has urged public universities to support...
DHET update on two university research studies: Gender Transformation and Sexual Harassment in Higher Education Institutions
At the first sitting of Universities South Africa’s Transformation Managers’ Forum (TMF) in March, officials from the Department of Higher Education and Training presented plans of...
Analysing disability support at South African public universities
Universal access and disability support in higher education remains a subject of concern for Universities South Africa’s (USAf’s) Transformation Strategy Group (TSG) – hence the imperative...
Unveiling new Employment Equity targets
South African universities have until 1 September this year to implement new plans to meet updated Employment Equity (EE) regulations and targets. According to the Department...
SA universities’ visit to Hungary culminates in the signing of a formal collaboration agreement
Thursday, 3rd April 2025, marks the last day in the official programme of Universities South Africa’s (USAf’s) delegation to Hungary, in eastern Europe. The 26-strong...
An invisible epidemic: fighting hearing loss
Submitted by University of Pretoria. Overview Hearing loss strikes at the heart of what makes us human — communication, engagement and learning, and...
Cutting operational costs is one way public universities could survive, long-term
Stellenbosch University is considered to be a very well-resourced institution compared to others, said Bismark Tyobeka, yet it still faces a projected six-year deficit of...
South African Universities — Mapping the Sustainable Development Goals
A recent outcome of this focus area is the South African Universities – Mapping the Sustainable Development Goals report, based on a USAf-commissioned study in...
Facilitating Online
Increasingly, universities are using online resources and interaction to support student learning. Even educators with excellent face-to-face facilitation skills are likely to confront a significant...