Enhancing Postgraduate Funding: Strategies and Progress
Presentation highlights the challenges, timelines, interventions, and performance indicators of the ON PG Funding Program, focusing on equity targets for South African postgraduate students, policy developments, key challenges, and strategic interventions. The program aims to support postgraduate students up to doctoral levels, improve completion rates, and provide comprehensive financial assistance to underrepresented groups.
- Postgraduate Funding
- Equity Targets
- Policy Development
- Strategic Interventions
- South African Students
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ON PG FUNDING PRESENTATIONTOTHE PARLIAMENT PORTFOLIO COMMITTEEON HIGHER EDUCATION, SCIENCEAND TECHNOLOGY 21 February 2024
2013 MINISTERIAL GUIDELINESON IMPROVING EQUITY Adopted January 2013. The fundamental principles underpinning these guidelines were as follows: Representivity; Improved efficiencies; and PRINCIPLES Prioritisation of science, engineering, and technology-related disciplines. Equity targets 87% South African 80% Black 55% Women 4% People with disabilities 13% International 3
DSI NRF PG FUNDING POLICY
CHALLENGES IDENTIFIED Low progression rates from Honours to Masters and Doctoral studies. Long time to completion and advanced age at completion. Transformation. KEY CHALLENGES Bursary values not comprehensive. Funding of financially needy students at postgraduate levels. No policy synergy with NSFAS (Undergraduate-postgraduate pipeline) 5
TIMELINES June 2016: Data gathering and analysis. 2017 - 2019: Policy Development and Consultations. March 2019: Board Approved NRF Policy. April 2020: First Call for Applicants published. May 2020: Minister of Higher Education Science and Technology endorsed the Policy to be referred as DSI-NRF Postgraduate Funding Policy. April 2021: Second Call for Applications published. April 2022: Third Call for Applications published. April 2023: Forth Call for Applications published. April 2024: Fifth Call for Applications published. 5 year review of the DSI-NRF PFP in 2025? TIMELINES 6
INTERVENTIONS Postgraduate students will be funded without interruption up the doctoral level. The NRF will prioritise funding full-time studies . Age limits to achieve Doctoral completion by age 35. Postgraduate funding pipeline for NSFAS funded undergraduates. 95% will be allocated to South African citizens and permanent residents. 90% and 55% will be allocated to South African black and female students respectively. Fit for purpose financial packages for PG students. Financially needy students, those with a disability and exceptional academic achievers will be funded at Full Cost Study. Alignment with DHET undergraduate bursary scheme for students at public universities. STRATEGIC INTERVENTIONS 7
STUDENTS SUPPORTEDAND GRADUATEDBY STUDY LEVEL Supported Graduated 11
STUDENTS SUPPORTED BY BROAD FIELDSOF STUDYFOR 2021 The NRF supports postgraduate students across all disciplines and fields. In 2021, 69% of the students supported were in Science Engineering and Technology (SET); 21% in the Human and Social Sciences (HSS, including education); and 10% in Business and Commerce (B&C). Within SET, the highest proportion of students are in the Biological & Chemical Science (26%), followed by Medical & Health Sciences (13%). 12
NEW AWARDSFORTHE 2022 ACADEMIC YEAR APPLICATIONS SUBMITTEDBY UNIVERSITIES NOTFUNDEDBY NRF DUETOBUDGET CONSTRAINTS INCOMPLETE/INELIGIBLE APPLICATIONS STUDYLEVEL FUNDEDBY NRF HONOURS 8 193 136 2% 6 248 76% 1 945 24% MASTERS 3 502 272 8% 1 702 49% 1 317 38% EXTENSION MASTERS 428 28 7% 10 2% 390 96% EXTENSION DOCTORAL 328 13 4% 0 0% 315 91% DOCTORAL 1 627 110 7% 495 30% 931 57% TOTAL 14 078 559 4% 8 455 60% 4 898 35% Honours: FCS 70% and PCS 30% Masters: FCS 63% and PCS 37% Doctoral: FCS 72% and PCS 28% 14
NOTAWARDED DUETO BUDGET CONSTRAINTS: 2022 ACADEMIC YEAR Citizenship South African (SA) Study level SA Citizens SA Permanent Other Black Female 5 483 88% 725 12% 0 0% 5 161 83% 4 260 67% Honours 1 432 84% 119 7% 150 9% 1 027 72% 899 63% Masters 310 63% 24 5% 160 33% 187 60% 167 54% Doctoral Total 7 225 78% 868 8% 310 14% 6 375 72% 5 326 61% Eligible for FCS Eligible for PCS Study level FCS amount (R) PCS amount (R) Total amount (R) 4 374 R764 067 920 1 874 R198 124 080 R962 192 000 Honours 1 191 R217 779 030 510 R54 040 770 R271 819 800 Masters 346 R69 308 694 148 R14 142 726 R83 451 420 Doctoral Total 5 910 R1 051 155 644 2 533 R266 307 576 R1 317 463 220 15
NOT AWARDED DUETO BUDGET CONSTRAINTS: 2023 ACADEMIC YEAR Citizenship South African (SA) Study level SA Citizens SA Permanent Other Black Female 4 899 99% 50 1% 0 0% 4 745 96% 3 359 68% Honours 1 449 86% 118 7% 109 7% 1 400 84% 921 55% Masters 115 58% 2 1% 80 41% 0 0% 70 36% Doctoral 6 463 95% 170 2% 189 3% 6 145 90% 4 350 64% Total Eligible for FCS Eligible for PCS Study level FCS amount (R) PCS amount (R) Total amount (R) Honours 3 464 556 834 261 1 485 174 801 155 731 635 415 Masters 1 173 198 456 166 503 56 393 042 254 849 208 Doctoral 519 91 516 202 223 22 526 230 114 042 432 Total 5 157 846 806 629 2 210 253 720 427 1 100 527 055 16
EFFORTSTO SOURCE ADDITIONAL FUNDING MoU with SASOL from 2022 to 2024. Total investment R26 000 000 to fund 102 Hons, MSc and PhD students. MoU with DAAD from 2022 to 2024. Total investment R 30 330 060 to fund 105 MSc and PhD students. DHET through the National Skills Fund (NSF) has made available to the NRF a total of R220 584 340 m from its Skills Development funding for the 2022 academic year and this will fund about 1 217 students. The NRF has also entered into a fund raising and co-funding agreement with Ikusasa Students Financial Aid Program (ISFAP). This partnership was interrupted during COVID 19 but it has now been able to fund 8 MSc students to the total investment of R1 400 000 INITIATIVES 18
EFFORTSTO SOURCE ADDITIONAL FUNDING MoU with Energy Mobility Education Trust (EMET) from 2023 to 2025. Total investment R28 million to fund 100 Hons, MSc and PhD students. NSF has approved linked to the MTEF (3-year cycle, 2023 to 2025 academic year) to the total investment of R780 044 330 million towards support of 3 650 postgraduate bursaries. INITIATIVES MoU under review with Telkom for a total investment of R18 million. Agreement will be from 2024 to 2026. 19
INTERNATIONAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES UNDER GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE PARTNERSHIPS Strengthens the NRF s capacity to identify and sustain partnerships that enhance international opportunities for exceptional doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career/emerging researchers, working in close collaboration with higher education and research institutions. Enables NRF grant holders to incorporate a period of three to eighteen months of international research experience into their research and education programme. Participants undertake short-term research visits at an international institution to advance their research projects aligned to specific thematic areas. Current opportunities are: Fulbright Foreign Student Programme (FFSP) USA; NRF-MINDS mobility programme AFRICA; NRF-Mitacs mobility programme CANADA; NRF-DAAD mobility programme GERMANY; DAAD Research Mobility Grants programme GERMANY; and Young Scientists Summer Programme (YSSP) AUSTRIA. 20
