An Assessment of Intervention Programmes Aimed at Addressing the High Failure RATE of Students at Universities in South Africa (SA)

Since the early 1990s, the failure rate among students and especially first year students enrolled at South African (SA) universities has been exceptionally high. In 2008, Higher Education South Africa(HESA), the vice-chancellors' association representing the country's 23 public universities reported that the student drop-out rate had grown alarmingly and had hit 35% at some universities, with the bulk of those leaving being first year students (Makonyi, 2008).  Specific to the SA context is the political and moral imperative of access, equity and success – forces playing themselves out in a society undergoing massive and rapid transformation.

Needless to say, the literature provides extensive explanations and reasons for this high failure rate ranging from poverty, lack of funding, poor student housing to academic under-preparedness. Most of the reasons are neither new nor specific to the SA context.  Parallels can be drawn with universities in diverse and heterogenous societies. Universities have responded in several ways through the implementation of programmes ranging from supplemental instruction to staff development programmes. 

The aim of this paper is to provide an assessment of the type and nature of intervention programmes offered across all 23 universities in SA with a focus on its objectives, the intended outcomes and the sector it targets.  The method used for gathering information is based mainly on documents and official publications of the institution which may be combined with a few interviews.