CIDA leads the way
In South Africa, tertiary education is generally perceived to be the preserve of the privileged (or those lucky enough to earn a bursary). In addition, the university enrolment of black South African students has shown a clear skew towards the social sciences, a stain on the curriculum vitae of the serious job seeker. A smart new city campus is challenging these patterns.
The Community and Individual Development Association (CIDA) was formally launched in November last year. It provides a unique model for the provision of access to quality tertiary education to learners from disadvantaged communities.
At the heart of CIDA’s model is partnership, most notably with local industry. There are three legs to this. Firstly, private companies and institutions play a leading role in the design and presentation of CIDA’s curricula. A direct consequence of this is that the students’ employability is enhanced, as likely employers have a hand in ensuring that the skills imparted are relevant to the industry’s current requirements.
A second benefit of the partnership model is that it exploits the willingness of companies to make donations in kind. Thus the school is housed on the former head office of Invest Bank, courteousy of the bank. Amalgamated Applicances donated the appliances used to facilitate multimedia presentation of course material, and accounting firm Price Waterhouse Coopers present the accounting course.
These companies benefit as they’re first in line to cherry pick its promising graduates. Says Wolfgang Jakob, CEO of CIDA-partner T-Systems South Africa, “We plan to equip individuals with the necessary expertise based on the needs of the ICT market”.
A consequence of this second component is that the costs of tertiary education are slashed for CIDA’s learners. CIDA estimates that its Bachelor of Business Administration – the fully accredited course which is its sole offering – costs 90% less than an equivalent from other commercial tertiary schools.
A third element of CIDA’s approach is its practical focus. This was mentioned in respect of industry involvement in course design, but it extends further, to the conduct of all aspects of course administration. Students are involved in administration of the campus, and have an active role to play in admissions and other management aspects. Entrepreneurship is a compulsory course component (jobs not being guaranteed) and students are schooled in the drafting of business plans. Plans are afoot to set up a venture capital fund to finance promising student enterprises.
Currently CIDA’s sole campus is in the populous Gauteng province in the North of the country. This offers proximity to learners from other African countries, and gels with the school’s mission of participating in the continental renewal programme dubbed NEPAD. In line with this goal, the school has pledged to reserve 10% of its scholarships for learners from other African Union member states.
This school has caught the attention of observers worldwide and won kudos for its innovation. The World Economic Forum bestowed its coveted Global Leader for Tomorrow award on CIDA founder, South African accountant Taddy Blacher. The Commonwealth Secretariat has appointed CIDA to serve as a Regional Centre of Excellence in Higher Education, and the school won the Grand Prix award at last year’s Age of Innovation competition, honouring it as the most innovative organisation in South Africa.
Based as it is on voluntary initiative, the school is eager to engage with parties interested in helping it achieve its objectives. In this regard please email the school.