University fees climb to record highs as Johannesburg schools grapple with infrastructure crisis this week

Johannesburg's education sector confronted twin crises this week as tertiary institutions announced tuition hikes while basic schools across the city reported deteriorating physical infrastructure, raising fresh concerns about equity and access for struggling families.

The University of the Witwatersrand confirmed on Monday that undergraduate fees will rise by 8.2% for 2027, bringing first-year commerce degrees to R89,400 annually—a figure that leaves many township families scrambling for solutions. The University of Pretoria's announcement of comparable increases has prompted student bodies to prepare fresh funding advocacy campaigns ahead of next month's registration period.

In parallel, a damning infrastructure audit released by the Gauteng Department of Education on Thursday revealed that 34% of public schools in Johannesburg's jurisdiction lack adequate sanitation facilities, with conditions particularly dire in Soweto and Alexandra. The Joburg-based Equal Education movement called the findings "unacceptable" and demanded emergency government intervention.

Parktown High School for Girls, one of Johannesburg's most prestigious institutions, launched an emergency fundraising drive after discovering asbestos in three dormitory blocks earlier this month. The school has temporarily relocated 47 boarders to hired accommodation in Melrose Estate while remediation work proceeds—a costly interim solution that headmistress-level leadership hopes to resolve by August.

In more positive developments, the Wits School of Governance announced a new R12-million partnership with the Johannesburg Development Agency to establish a civic leadership programme targeting students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds across Gauteng. The initiative aims to place 200 graduates annually in local government internships.

However, educators remain anxious. The South African Democratic Teachers' Union's Johannesburg branch reported that salary disputes and delayed payment cycles at several no-fee schools in Orange Farm and Diepsloot have created critical staffing gaps heading into end-of-year examinations. The union confirmed that at least 12 educators have resigned since March, citing unsustainable working conditions.

Meanwhile, the Johannesburg Centre for Higher Learning, a private tertiary institution in the Rosebank precinct, faces provisional closure after regulatory authorities identified serious governance failures. The Department of Higher Education suspended its registration pending a forensic audit.

Education analysts suggest these parallel crises—affordability at universities, infrastructure collapse at township schools, and governance failures in private providers—underline systemic fragmentation in Johannesburg's education ecosystem. As the academic year enters its final stretch, pressure mounts on provincial authorities to chart a coherent, adequately funded recovery strategy before the sector fractures further.

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