Ekurhuleni requires university
According to a report in the January 7 issue of a national newspaper, in terms of the matric examination results for 2015 for Gauteng province, 38 760 students achieved bachelor’s passes, 37 375 achieved a diploma pass and 15 153 will be able to study towards a higher certificate.
If it is assumed that it would be logical for the equivalent of a quarter of the above-mentioned people to study in Ekurhuleni, given the fact that about a quarter of the residents of Gauteng live in Ekurhuleni, Ekurhuleni has a strategic location in Gauteng, South Africa and internationally.
There are no good reasons for a good set of tertiary educational facilities not to be provided in Ekurhuleni, the number of Bachelor’s degree and diploma students generated in Ekurhuleni would be as follow: Bachelor’s degree 9 690 students and 9 344 diploma students.
If it is assumed that the two categories of students would, on average, study for four years, an appropriate estimate of the number of relevant students who should be catered for in Ekurhuleni would be as follows:
Traditional university: 38 760
University of technology: 37 376.
It is clear that there is a strong case for the provision of a very large comprehensive university in Ekurhuleni.
It would also be a good idea to have a much better distribution of university facilities in South Africa, as in the case of Australia, one of the most successful countries in the world.
Having university campuses close to places of residence definitely cuts costs of attendance, increases the number of people who can undergo university education, boosts economic development, and reduces the incidence of crime.
There are at present still good locations for university campuses available at central eastern Ekurhuleni, north western Ekurhuleni, south western Ekurhuleni, and far eastern Ekurhuleni.
Peter F Behrmann,
Professional urban and regional planner.
