Factors affecting the enrolment rate of students in higher education institutions in the Gauteng province, South Africa : based on General Household Survey 2012

Magister Philosophiae - MPhilBackground: In South Africa, many students are not able to register at higher education institutions after receiving their high school diploma. The majority of those who do register do not even complete their tertiary studies. The purpose of this research project is to investigate and analyse higher education institutions’ enrolment and dropout within the Gauteng province, South Africa. Data and Methods: Large-scale secondary data from the General Household Survey (GHS, 2012), obtained from Statistics South Africa were used. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and the Statistical Analyst System (SAS) software package were utilised for quantitative analysis. The numerous local and international pedagogical studies synthesised in this research show that finance, unplanned pregnancies, orphanhood and transport to the higher education institutions are some of the main concerns that affect the enrolment rate of students. Further variables such as gender, race, ethnicities and the type of institution have also negatively affected the enrolment rate of students, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Results: According to the ICEF Monitor 2015, current higher education enrolment in Sub-Saharan Africa is 8%. The UIS Fact Sheet 2010 revealed that the enrolment ratio is 4.8% for women compared to 7.3% for men. The present study focuses on the Gauteng province's students who have completed their high school education, as well as those who are either registered or not registered within the province’s higher education institutions, and are between the ages of 17 and 35 years. Conclusion: This study hopes to be useful to policy-makers, research managers and other decision makers within education