In the light of recent events, and student uproar about university fees, the trail of devastation to campuses, falling behind on schedules and dangers it poses to study at such institutions, the University of the Free State mentioned in Beeld (2015/11/06) that even Lecturers are better of working overseas or in Private Institutions. The situation does not seem to improve as students continue to strike and damage campuses, and it seems that if you are someone that is serious about the quality of your education, it is a far better option to turn your gaze to the content of courses, the comfort and reliability of smaller institutions, and the safety they provide.
A University degree can on average cost a student over R75 000.00 over a three year period to obtain it, and in the last 3 years it is estimated that, annual strikes and riots amounted to an average disruption of 6 weeks per year. Added to this the late starting dates, the early ending dates, examination block times, holidays, University social commitments and administration, very little time is actually spent in very overcrowded classrooms. A situation that will worsen if education is free, and the standards lowered to meet the increasing demand. It is expected that most lecturers would simply not continue in the fields of education, creating the problem of less people to teach, and double to triple the amount of students. It is inevitable that quality will suffer.
Lee Burger head of Irene School of Garden Design also adds that currently corruption, and the assessment system of what makes a degree or diploma valid, is based on time. Not the best way to gauge quality, because time does not equal understanding. More and more employers are after skill, and almost disregard the papers obtained in favour of a test of skills. There are also various types of learners, and if you gauge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its entire life thinking it is a failure. That is why it is paramount to keep class sizes manageable, and provide education that focus on the individual. Above and beyond the outstanding reputation that the Irene School of Garden Design has for providing quality, personally, the course material is current, and probably the most visual, and concise there is on the market today if not in the world. It is good to hear that some Educators in the private industry will hopefully lead the way for Private Education. Obtaining knowledge that is relevant, of outstanding standard, recognized by the industry rather than regimes, and most of all presented without disruptions in a safe environment.
