Education is strongly considered as one of the keys to unlocking and realising the potential of the proverbial tomorrow’s adults in every country, South Africa is no different. In fact, the number of world-class tertiary institutions registered in South Africa is testament to the magnitude of its importance in society.
The cost of tertiary fees can be a daunting thing to plan for any household, let alone a single-parent household, which is very common in South Africa. As per data published in October 2021, the cost for an undergraduate degree program, at Stellenbosch University, for example, is estimated at R44 940 for a BCom, R64 974 for a BSc engineering, R54 501 for a BA Law, and R48 037 for a BA in human resources management while at UCT, residence fees are around R35 000, R7 500 for transport; R15 000 living allowance; R5 200 for books. Excluding academic fees, that’s north of R60 600.
According to a report issued by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in late 2021, the cumulative national student debt was in the area of R14bn. While tertiary institutions rely heavily on the student tuition fees to generate its revenue, there is a section of the 26 registered higher education institutions’ budget that gets supported in the form of grants received from the DHET.
There are, however, many of these 26 registered institutions that have remained relevant with the job market post qualification some even employing innovative and creative marketing measures in getting students to sign up to further their studies with them. Many colleges and universities have cracked the nod at being known for a trademark or specific course or industry-focussed study courses. One such a formidable and prolific institution, is TSIBA Business School.
TSIBA offers advanced technology and a learning environment with the latest Cloud-based technology enhanced through interactive mediums. The institution is perfect for those wanting to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate business qualifications. These qualifications cater to every aspiring student looking to further their career in the business world with three qualification models.
“Supported by generous tuition scholarships this enables students to contribute towards their tuition at relative levels of affordability,” says Kwanele Magwaca, spokesperson at TSIBA Business School. “All TSIBA accredited qualifications have Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) recognition. At the same time our aim is to continue to prepare real-world ready candidates, with our post-graduate employment rate of over 90 percent.”
Bursaries, partial funding, and sponsorships have become fundamentally imperative in households under financial pressure where aspiring young minds seek to improve their financial and living environment.
To solve the first challenge students can utilise TSIBA’s tuition calculator designed for aspiring students, who are still in the dark in terms of where their tuition monies will come from or whether or not they can still get into an institution. The tuition calculator helps students gauge what they could qualify for based on their academic merit marks and family household income.
As the pandemic has had a ripple effect to the financial stability in many households this has too impacted students’ ability to firm up the administration and gain placement at tertiary institutions. It’s peak season for tertiary institutions but this doesn’t help students who are still struggling to get placed as applications for the 2022 academic year closed off last year.
“TSIBA registrations are still open and will offer late registration for students up until mid-March. Thus, allowing students to align their budgets after cash-strapped January,” concludes Magwaca.
