South Africa’s National Digital University dream must become a reality

WESLEY DIPHOKO

IN 2012, a woman was killed next to the gates of the University of Johannesburg. She was the mother of a prospective student. Nine years later a father has lost his life again next to a university, this time near Wits.

The reason why these two people died is partly related to the difficulty of accessing higher education in South Africa. One was queuing, trying to get her son registered, the other was a bystander shot when police were shooting at students fighting for access to higher education.

While the details of these tragic incidents are more nuanced than that, they force us to think deeper about what it will take to address the access to education challenges. One would think that a loss of life in 2012 would have moved society to come up with a solution to this challenge, but we are still here with a significant number of young people who cannot access higher education because of space constraints and limited resources.

We live in an era where technology makes it possible for people to access almost everything that has to do with learning and education.

A year ago, as people were contemplating the prospect of weeks or months of lockdown, two young academics thought up a novel community service project: helping people to use their free time to learn a valuable new skill. They set out to turn Stanford’s introductory coding class, CS106A, into a massive virtual community: Code in Place.

Two months later, the results were in: 10000 students from 120 countries embraced the joy of coding through the course. Students who had never before tried to code were implementing projects in Python, including tools to model dynamics of the Covid-19 pandemic, analyse DNA, conduct sentiment analysis from Twitter, and create a choose-your-own-adventure film. A handful of students kickstarted new careers in computer science. A student from Italy called it “the most enjoyable, mentally stimulating and rewarding experience I have ever encountered”.

How did they achieve such a massive impact in education?

Their secret ingredient was the community of 908 section leaders who volunteered their time to give students live weekly, interactive support in small, virtual groups for 40 minutes. Section leaders joined from more than 350 cities on six continents, spoke more than 30 languages, and came from every walk of life.

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This model is a fine example of using technology to enable access to education which, if applied with greater institutional support, can address the access issue.

Of course, not all courses can be taught without physical interaction with instructors. But courses that can be taught online, such as computer science, should receive the necessary support to be taught online.

Google understands the value and impact of this model. Recently, the US tech giant made a huge announcement that could change the future of work and higher education: It launched a selection of professional courses that teach candidates how to perform in-demand jobs. These courses, which the company is calling Google Career Certificates, teach foundational skills that can help job seekers find employment.

However, instead of taking years to finish, like a traditional university degree, these courses are designed to be completed in about six months. No one will be turned away due to overcapacity as they are delivered online. They are also not as expensive as traditional university courses.

The South African Higher Education ministry has tried all traditional means of enabling access through funding and building new universities, yet the access challenge persists. What has not yet been tried is the National Digital University.

Many who dream about a National Digital University are told there’s University of South Africa (Unisa). The reality however is that Unisa is a traditional university built for the old world.

To address some of South Africa’s access to education challenges there’s a need for a national education platform that feels like Zoom, Netflix, and Coursera combined with a Virgin Active type model for physical interaction where there’s a need.