Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela has called on South African universities to face up to funding pressures, student debt, institutional stability, AI and transformation. Delivering a keynote at a webinar on the intellectual directions of higher education, he warned that widening access without strengthening institutions could undermine the whole system.
What a university is for
Manamela urged a renewed national conversation about the purpose of universities and their role in tackling inequality, preparing graduates for the future and serving society. He rejected a narrow view of the sector, saying a university is not simply a factory for certificates, a recruitment agency for employers or a consultancy to the state. In his words, it must remain a place where knowledge is discovered, received wisdom is challenged and society builds the capacity to imagine a different future.
Funding and access
The minister acknowledged real achievements: wider access, a transformed student population and internationally recognised research institutions. But he said the sector must look beyond immediate problems to its long-term sustainability. Sustainable financing and equitable access are the key priorities, and he argued that student funding and institutional sustainability must be dealt with together. Protecting access while undermining the institutions that educate students, he warned, risks weakening the very system government is trying to expand.
He also said universities should show their public value through their contribution to society, while protecting academic freedom and independent inquiry.
AI and the future of graduates
Manamela said universities must prepare graduates to think critically, interrogate evidence and exercise ethical judgement in an AI-driven world. He also called for Africa to build its own capacity to produce and shape emerging technologies, rather than depend on systems developed elsewhere.
Decolonisation and the academic profession
Intellectual transformation was another priority. He called for stronger African scholarship, multilingualism and meaningful integration of African knowledge traditions into teaching and research, while staying engaged with global thinking. He also stressed protecting the academic profession, supporting emerging scholars and recognising the humanities, arts, sciences and technology in national development.
A question for the sector
Manamela challenged universities to ask whether the current system answers the country’s challenges, including inequality, climate change, AI, the future of work and the unfinished work of democracy. He asked whether, if the system were designed today, it would look the same, and if not, what should change and what must be protected. He said government, universities, students, academics, workers and society must shape the answer together.
