Infrastructure development features prominently in the Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET’s) development plan, with the department aiming to invest a further R7.1-billion on university infrastructure development between 2015/16 and 2017/18, Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande said on Friday.

Speaking at the Education Alliance meeting at the University of Johannesburg, he pointed out that the department had contributed about R12.8-billion to developing university infrastructure over the past eight years.

“Funding infrastructure, particularly for historically disadvantaged universities, remains a priority. [Our funding] has positively mobilised universities’ own resources and that of the private sector towards the development of quality infrastructure at many of our universities,” he noted.

Further, Nzimande stated that the investment made by the DHET had been a catalyst for the general improvement of infrastructure, including the refurbishments and construction of new academic facilities at universities, such as lecture rooms, libraries, laboratories, student accommodation and equipment.

“The total investment of R12.8-billion has created about 89 000 jobs at different levels. This has enabled the expansion of spaces in higher education institutions and improved the quality of educational environments,” he added.

NEW UNIVERSITIES
The DHET was investing R2.8-billion in the development of two new universities, Sol Plaatje University (SPU), in Kimberley, in the Northern Cape, and the University of Mpumalanga (UMP), outside Polokwane, in Mpumalanga, between 2013 and 2017.

The first phase upgrade of the existing facilities of both universities was completed in 2014.

Major construction work would start in 2016 and 2017 with total facilities planned for an enrolment of 1 442 students at UMP and 1 235 students at SPU. New student accommodation would be built at the central campuses of each university for the 2017 intake.

SPU opened its doors in January 2014, providing access to 127 students studying towards teaching degrees, as well as diplomas in retail management and information technology.

Meanwhile, initial programmes offered at UMP included courses in agriculture, foundation phase teaching and hospitality management.

Moreover, in pursuit of the DHET’s mandate to increase access to technical vocational education and training (TVET) college learning programmes and to transform TVET colleges into institutions of choice, 12 new campuses would be built and two existing campuses refurbished.

The development and refurbishment of TVET college infrastructure would include student accommodation facilities and modern teaching and learning lecture rooms, workshops, simulation rooms, resource centres and recreational centres.

These campuses would have a total seating capacity of 10 248 and accomodation for 1 448 students, but the actual number of students who may benefit are much higher as these campuses are equipped to offer e-learning and other modes of delivery.

The current project budget was R2.1-billion with a further funding envelope of R2.9-billion.

Contractors have been appointed to start work at three sites in Thabazimbi, Nkandla A and Bambanani, while the awarding of contracts to successful bidders for the remaining sites would be completed in the first quarter of this year.

STUDENT HOUSING
“Student housing and backlog maintenance require serious attention,” Nzimande noted.

While there was a vast shortage of beds in the system, the department was aiming to leverage as much funding as possible to mitigate this. For the 2012/13 to 2014/15 financial years the DHET allocated R1.6-billion specifically earmarked for universities to build and refurbish student residences, with the bulk being allocated to historically black institutions.

This allocation, together with the R700-million contribution from universities, would fund almost 9 000 new beds in the country.

The department’s Policy on Student Housing at Public Universities and Minimum Norms and Standards Applicable would also be approved and finalised mid-2015. Through the Development Bank of Southern Africa, using Infrastructure Investment Programme for South Africa funding, the DHET would, this year, undertake a feasibility study at the Walter Sisulu University as one of the pilot universities for developing a new funding model to accelerate the provision of student housing.