The missing middle tertiary students may have finally found a place in the national education funding schemes but to effectively bridge the gap, planning, foresight and tangible mechanisms need to be in place.
Students relying on government support for their studies say they are worried, anxious and scared their dreams will be shattered should they be excluded from getting funding in 2024.
Hundreds of thousands of prospective students who applied to Eastern Cape universities will not be admitted, as the institutions can only accommodate fewer than 10% of applicants. The University of Fort Hare has space for 1.6% of its total number of applicants; Walter Sisulu University is able to accommodate just 1.