Where angels fear to tread

To say that these are interesting times in the local higher education arena would be a colossal understatement.

Our former president’s final hospital pass chucked free tertiary education at the new regime, which is having to display the fanciest of footwork to work out how on earth it is going to finance this astonishingly generous use of other people’s money.

The full implications for the traditional tertiary sector will only become apparent over time, and the hope must be that an already overburdened sector doesn’t become swamped.

Meanwhile, Stadio is positioning itself to replicate in higher education the success that its parent, Curro, has had in the spheres of primary and secondary education. It could be forgiven for taking a peek at the public institutions and wondering quite how lively things could get, given a bunch of students who have just been taught the lesson that being highly disruptive gets you free stuff.

Many will be fearing that it might be pretty close to the final days of the Roman Empire, and will be voting with their feet accordingly.

Stadio has raised R840m to finance its aim of acquiring and developing institutions that will meet the demand for quality and relevant higher education in Southern Africa, and it is the emphasis on quality and relevance that will determine its success.

Its investments cover teacher training, the film, television and live performance industries, and fashion, retail and business courses through on-site and distance learning. It will be looking to add more niches with a focus on the needs of the SA marketplace.

Our former president’s final hospital pass chucked free tertiary education at the new regime, which is displaying the fanciest of footwork to work out how to finance this