CAO marks 20 years of handling KZN’S tertiary applications
DURBAN’S Central Applications Office (CAO) has, for the past 20 years, been processing applications for first-time admissions for what has grown to include all universities, universities of technology and most private and five TVET (Technical, Vocational, Education and Training) colleges in Kwazulu-natal.
The non-profit organisation’s chief executive, George van der
Ross, says: “We don’t simply process applications. We make dreams come true. We don’t simply capture applications, we capture dreams.”
Applications encompass over
730 study programmes, grouped under 25 career directions. The
CAO assists applicants in deciding career or subject choices with a selfassessment quiz. Applications can be done online or in hard copy at their offices or partnering institutions, at the Department of Basic Education’s district offices, public libraries, schools and career exhibitions in KZN, and can also be posted.
And all applications require just one form and one fee.
Where did the founding members get the inspiration?
They were inspired by the principle of wanting to achieve “maximum equity and efficacy” in the redressing of historical inequalities in access to tertiary education.
They would achieve this by making it possible for applicants to apply to up to six institutions and only have to pay one application fee, and by providing career information to, especially, learners in rural and economically less well-resourced areas.each year the CAO provides four bursaries, ranging from R10 000 to R20 000, as well as one bursary which covers the full cost of tuition for three years.
At the time the CAO was established in 1998, the idea, let alone the implementation, of an organisation that would offer a single point of contact for aspiring students from the 2000 intake, was novel in South Africa, to say the least.
Prior to 1999, students wanting to pursue their post-school studies in KZN had to contact every institution, request forms, pay separate fees, fill in different forms and solicit feedback from multiple institutions. The academic institutions needed their own staff to manage the requests and mail houses to prepare the information packs and provide correspondence. These processes waste valuable resources that could be used in education rather than administration.
During the first year of operation, the CAO had huge challenges and institutions were generally unsympathetic.
The main cause was the shortage of funds, which did not allow for the decision to run a parallel system during the first year of operation.
In addition, the staff in the institutions had little chance to learn the new system.
The organisation managed to acquire a R5 million overdraft facility from FNB, with the member institutions each providing security of R500 000. The CAO became fully sustainable within six years and was able to repay the loan in full.
And how does it keep its head above water? Even though it is an NPO, it derives 99% of its funding from application fees and the remaining 1% from advertisements in its Annual Handbook and access to its Clearing House by Private Colleges.
Access to the Clearing House is free for all public institutions.
Operations for the 2001 cycle improved considerably in all respects, bar funding, which has always been a challenge.
By the end of 2002 the CAO was recognised as being highly successful and there was a dramatic increase in the number of applicants.
With success came a ministerial task team to investigate the National Information Application System, to examine and evaluate the systems in detail, with a view to exploring whether it might be a possible model for a national service – something which remains under discussion.
The CAO’S growth has been partnered by a shift in trends, most particularly towards online applications.
The 50-50 point between hard copy and online applications was reached with the 2016 application cycle and there were a staggering
106 729 092 hits on the CAO’S website from March 2017 to
February 2018, with 1 013 992 unique visitors, 2 662 989 visits and 37 226 807 pages.
Over two million emails and SMSES were sent collectively in the 2016/17 cycle and social media interest has also rocketed, with monthly communication on the CAO’S Facebook page numbering around 20 000 Grade 12 learners.
Having invested so much in upgrading its technology, the CAO celebrates this achievement, but the overriding principle in the gestation period of the CAO was to achieve “maximum equity and efficacy in the redressing of historical inequalities in access to postsecondary education in the region”.
It therefore remains vigilant in its commitment to provide equal access to all applicants.
The vast majority come from KZN, which has the largest number of rural areas in South Africa and applicants who do not have access to computers and the internet.
Through various outreach programmes, a total of 729 319 hard copy application forms have been distributed this year.
Statistics show clearly that the redressing of inadequacies has been effectively adhered to – not only in terms of population demographics, but also inasmuch as female users consistently outnumber males.
The values that support the
CAO’S success have everything to do with good governance, inclusive participation of staff – which encourages internal growth and development – accountability and sensitivity to customers’ needs.
CAO chairperson Mike Naidoo, who has been involved since 1994 – long before the CAO was launched – illustrates this: “The CAO works meticulously and scrupulously with member institutions and service providers alike to cultivate and advance consensus on matters that affect them.
“Institutional staff frequently remark that they feel they are ‘being heard’ when dealing with CAO staff. Building this trusting relationship did not happen overnight, but came with hard work by the CEO and the unflagging support of the board.”
South Africa’s economic climate, as well as uncertainties within the education system, presents ongoing challenges. With regards to his predecessor, Ann Knock, and her years of hard knocks, Van der Ross remarked: “I know of nothing more emotionally and physically draining than uncertainty.”
The same applies in his tenure, though there are rewards, often intangible. Asked about the meaning of value within the enterprise,
Van der Ross continues where the chairman left off. “For me, it speaks to the shared vision and values we gain from it, which characterises what we do at the CAO. It’s not just a supply chain phenomenon about ‘bigger, faster, cheaper’.
“Instead, the true meaning of value – that which is valued – is borne out by the shared vision we have with our stakeholders, and everything that flows out from it.”
To mark their 20th anniversary, the CAO is releasing a coffee table book at their annual general meeting on September 1 at the Durban ICC, with Universities South Africa chief executive Professor Ahmed Bawa delivering the keynote address. Who will deliver it in 20 years’ time? One of their bursary winners?
Central Applications Office, Gate 11, Mary Thiphe Street, Cato Manor Website: http://www.cao.ac.za/ Facebook: https://www.facebook. com/centralapplicationsoffice/