November 12, 2002
By Lucille Davie
TEN is an important number at South Africa's almost-free university, CIDA. Tuition fees are 10% of those charged by other universities. And, in 2003, 10% of bursaries will go to students from the African Union, as part of CIDA's contribution to Nepad.
CIDA (Community and Individual Development Association) is a remarkable private university in the heart of Johannesburg's CBD that recruits students from disadvantaged communities around the country. Tuition and books cost students just R350 in their first year, and then R150 per month in subsequent years.
The university was officially launched last Friday by the Minister of Education, Kader Asmal, who announced that 1 000 scholarships would be available for new students in 2003, valued at R40-million. Most of the funding is supplied by the private sector.
"CIDA is both a national and international solution to open access to higher education in developing nations. Lack of tertiary education has proven to be a major stumbling block to the growth and success of any developing nation," according to a statement issued by the institution.
The university offers a four-year Bachelor of Business Education degree that emphasises entrepreneurship, business science and technology. But it goes further. "The institution focuses on holistic skills development which is critical in the world of work such as creativity, self-confidence and the reduction of stress. It does this using scientifically validated methods including meditation and counselling."
The university has accreditation from the national Department of Education and operates as a private university. Its degree has been accredited with the South African Institute of Management and other bodies.
In the past three years the university has received around 17 000 applications but accepted only 1 600 students. "We only accept South Africa's most exceptional students. They need to be academically outstanding, have strong English and mathematical skills, want to complete a business or management degree and must have displayed proven leadership ability," says Conrad Mhlongo, CIDA co-founder.
Students are also expected to participate in the daily running of the university. Committees have been formed and they delegate chores to groups of students, and everyone has a turn. The students are in charge of the cleaning of the building, administrative duties, electrical problems that arise, maintaining the indoor garden (they are growing vegetables in the rooftop garden), and repairing the computers.
Sponsors include Investec, FNB, African Bank, Puregas, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Monitor Company, Didata, MTN, FNB and Corp Capital Bank. McGraw Hill has given R90-million worth of books. Microsoft has supplied software, and Amalgamated Appliances has given technology equipment.
Donations also take the form of time and labour - lecturers, for example, often work free of charge. Investment Solutions, for example, sends a team member to give classes on investment, PricewaterhouseCoopers does the same for accounting classes, and Investec supplies similar experts in banking.
In addition to formal lectures, CIDA supplies facilitators who are university graduates, who act as tutors as well as counsellors, giving advice and talking through problems with students.
CIDA is the brainchild of Taddy Blacher who received this year's World Economic Forum's Global Leader for Tomorrow award. He practised as an actuary for six years, then spent four years as a management consultant before deciding in 1995 that he "wanted to do more to help the country. I spent three years working in the townships, helping improve standards in schools".
The improvements in standards and better matric pass rates gave rise to further problems. By 1998 hundreds of students approached him saying they didn't know what to do after completing matric - they couldn't afford university and there were no jobs available.
And so CIDA came into being. In consultation with educational institutions across the country and experts in business, Blecher and his board established CIDA in 2000 with 350 students.
Plans for the future include boosting student numbers to 9 000 over five years, then replicating the model in other provinces.
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