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1 STATISTICS SOUTH AFRICASTATS SATHE SOUTH AFRICA I KNOW, THE HOME I UNDERSTANDE ducation Series Volume V Higher education and skills in south Africa, 2017 ISBN: 978-0-621-46254-8 Report: 92-01-052 Education Series Volume V Higher Education and Skills in South Africa, 2017 Statistics South Africa Risenga Maluleke Statistician-General Report No. 92-01-05 STATISTICS SOUTH AFRICA ii Education Series Volume V: Higher Education and Skills in South Africa, 2017 Report 92-01-05 Education Series Volume V: Higher Education and Skills in South Africa, 2017 / Statistics South Africa Published by Statistics South Africa, Private Bag X44, Pretoria 0001 Statistics South Africa, 2019 Users may apply or process this data, provided Statistics South Africa ( STATS SA) is acknowledged as the original source of the data; that it is specified that the application and/or analysis is the result of the user's independent processing of the data; and that neither the basic data nor any reprocessed version or application thereof may be sold or offered for sale in any form whatsoever without prior permission from STATS SA.

2 STATS SA Library Cataloguing-in-Publication (CIP) Data Education Series Volume V: Higher Education and Skills in South Africa, 2017 / Statistics South Africa. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa, 2019 Report no. 92-01-05 90 pp ISBN 978-0-621-46254-8 A complete set of STATS SA publications is available at STATS SA Library and the following libraries: National Library of South Africa, Pretoria Division National Library of South Africa, Cape Town Division Library of Parliament, Cape Town Bloemfontein Public Library Natal Society Library, Pietermaritzburg Johannesburg Public Library Eastern Cape Library Services, King William s Town Central Regional Library, Polokwane Central Reference Library, Mbombela Central Reference Collection, Kimberley Central Reference Library, Mmabatho This report is available on the STATS SA website: For technical enquiries please contact: Seble Worku Tel.

3 : 012-310 8480 Email: STATISTICS SOUTH AFRICA iii Education Series Volume V: Higher Education and Skills in South Africa, 2017/Statistics South Africa Report 92-01-05 Table of Contents List of figures .. iv List of tables .. vii Abbreviations and acronyms .. viii Foreword .. ix Chapter 1: The post-secondary education and training system .. 1 Introduction .. 1 The governance of the higher education system .. 2 Policies and national frameworks related to higher education and training .. 3 Funding and financial aid .. 4 Outcomes related to higher education .. 8 Objective of the report .. 10 Chapter 2: Transition from school to post-school education .. 12 Background .. 12 Trends in National Senior Certificates enrolment and performance .. 15 Transition into post-school education .. 22 Attendance of educational institutions .. 25 Summary and conclusion .. 32 Chapter 3: Participation in post-school education and skills development.

4 33 Students participation in universities and technikons .. 33 Student participation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges .. 45 Student participation in Community Education and Training (CET) and private colleges .. 49 Summary and conclusion .. 52 Chapter 4: Higher educational attainment .. 53 Students post-school progression and graduation .. 53 Educational outcomes in South Africa .. 66 Summary and conclusion .. 73 Chapter 5: Conclusions and the way forward .. 74 Appendix .. 77 References .. 79 STATISTICS SOUTH AFRICA iv Education Series Volume V: Higher Education and Skills in South Africa, 2017/Statistics South Africa Report 92-01-05 List of figures Figure : National Qualification Framework levels and its sub- frameworks .. 2 Figure : Provincial education budget expenditure as a percentage of the total provincial budget expenditure 2013/14 2017/18.

5 6 Figure : Share of provincial education budget 2013/14 2017/18 .. 6 Figure : Budget expenditure breakdown on higher education and training, 2010/11 and 2017/18 .. 7 Figure : National Student Financial Aid Scheme awards, 2010 2017 .. 8 Figure : Grades 11 and 12 progressions, 2010 2017 .. 13 Figure : Grades 11 and 12 progressions by gender, 2013 2017 .. 14 Figure : NSC candidates who achieved the NSC examination compared to those who enrolled in Grade 12 and those who wrote the exam, 2010 2017 .. 15 Figure : NSC candidates who wrote the exam as a percentage of the Grade 12 enrolled learners, 2010 2017 .. 16 Figure : NSC candidates who achieved the NSC examination by gender, 2002 2017 .. 16 Figure : NSC performance as a percentage of those who wrote the exam by achievement type, 2010 2017 .. 17 Figure : Bachelor pass rate by gender, 2013 2017 .. 17 Figure : NSC performance by achievement type and province, 2010 and 18 Figure : NSC performance by school type, 2017.

6 18 Figure : NSC achievement by school type and performance type, 2017 .. 19 Figure : National NSC pass rate, 1994 2017 .. 20 Figure : NSC mathematics pass rate by gender, 2010 2017 .. 21 Figure : NSC physical sciences pass rate, 2010 2017 .. 21 Figure : First time students entering public universities at undergraduate degrees and diplomas programmes, 2000 22 Figure : First time students entering undergraduate degrees and diploma programmes, 2008 2016 .. 23 Figure : Percentage change in first time entering undergraduate students at public universities, 2000-2016 .. 23 Figure : First time enrolment and all other enrolment at public universities, 2000 2016 .. 24 Figure : Enrolment in TVET, CET and private colleges, 2001 2016 .. 24 Figure : Attendance of educational institutions by individuals aged 18 24 by population group, 2017 .. 25 Figure : Attendance of educational institutions by individuals aged 18 24 by gender, 25 Figure : Attendance of educational institutions by individuals aged 18 24 by age, 2017.

7 26 Figure : Attendance of educational institutions by individuals aged 18 24 by province, 2017 .. 26 Figure : Reasons for not attending educational institutions by individuals aged 18 24 by age, 2017 .. 28 Figure : Reasons for not attending educational institutions by individuals aged 18 24 by province, 2017 .. 28 Figure : Reasons for not attending educational institutions by individuals aged 18 24 by gender, 2017 .. 29 Figure : Individuals aged 18 24 who were not attending educational institutions and were satisfied with their educational attainment by their highest level of education and population group, 2017 .. 29 Figure : Individuals aged 18 24 who were not attending educational institutions and were satisfied with their educational attainment by their highest level of education, 2017 .. 30 Figure : Individuals aged 18 24 who were not attending educational institutions and were satisfied with their educational attainment by their highest level of education and gender, 2017.

8 30 Figure : Individuals aged 18 24 who were not attending educational institutions and were satisfied with their educational attainment by highest level of education and province, 2017 .. 31 Figure : Individuals aged 18 24 who were not attending educational institutions and had no money for fees to undertake further studies by highest level of education and age, 2017 .. 31 Figure : Individuals aged 18 24 who were not attending educational institutions and had no money for fees to undertake further studies by highest level of education and gender, 2017 .. 32 STATISTICS SOUTH AFRICA v Education Series Volume V: Higher Education and Skills in South Africa, 2017/Statistics South Africa Report 92-01-05 Figure : Trends in enrolment at universities and technikons, 2000 2016 .. 33 Figure : Enrolment by population group and qualification categories for universities and technikons, 2000 .. 38 Figure : Enrolment by population group and qualification categories for universities, 2016.

9 39 Figure : Enrolment by qualification categories and gender for technikons and universities, 2000 .. 40 Figure : Enrolment by qualification categories and gender for universities, 2016 .. 40 Figure : Enrolment in universities and technikons by mode of learning, 2000 and 2016 .. 41 Figure : Enrolment at public and private higher education institutions, 2008 2016 .. 41 Figure : Enrolment at private higher education institutions by qualification type, 2016 .. 42 Figure : Enrolment at public universities and technikons by type of qualification and nationality, 2000 .. 43 Figure : Enrolment at public universities by type of qualifications and nationality, 2016 .. 44 Figure : Trends on enrolment at TVET colleges, 2010 2016 .. 45 Figure : Enrolment at TVET colleges by qualification category, 2010 and 2016 .. 47 Figure : Enrolment at TVET colleges by age and qualification category, 2013 2016.

10 48 Figure : Trends in enrolment at CET colleges, 2010 2016 .. 49 Figure : Enrolment at CET colleges by gender, 2016 .. 50 Figure : Trends in enrolment at private colleges, 2010 2016 .. 51 Figure : Enrolment in private colleges by qualification category, 2016 .. 51 Figure : Enrolment in private colleges by gender and qualification type, 2016 .. 52 Figure : Trends in university and technikon graduates, 2000 2016 .. 53 Figure : Graduates of public universities and technikons by gender, 2000 2016 .. 54 Figure : National throughputs for 360-credit diploma and three years degree with first year enrolment in 2011, 2013 2016 .. 55 Figure : National throughputs for three years degree with first year enrolment in 2000 2011 .. 55 Figure : Public universities undergraduate success rates by mode of attendance, 2009 2016 .. 56 Figure : Graduates from public universities by qualification type, 2009 2016.