Why flexible education could be South Africa’s greatest equaliser

By Leon Smalberger, CEO of the Academic Institute of Excellence (AIE)

South Africa’s education system was built for a world that no longer exists. Traditional classroom-based learning models, where physical attendance determines access, participation, and ultimately graduation, fail to consider the realities facing today’s students. Rising transport costs, the fluctuating challenges associated with the electricity grid, financial constraints, and the growing need to balance both work and study have made greater flexibility essential, not optional.

In a country where 35.2% of youth aged 15-24 years are not in employment, education, or training (NEET), the tertiary education model must adapt. For many young people, studying is about obtaining a qualification to become employable and gaining the practical skills needed to keep pace with a rapidly changing economy. It’s not a luxury but a necessity for a future with opportunities tied to earning a living.

Yet across the country, thousands of capable students are forced to pause or abandon their studies because they can’t afford accommodation near campus, access reliable transport, or must work to support their families. These are not exceptions; they are the norm.

These pressures are reflected in dropout data. Studies show that up to 50% of South African students leave tertiary education within their first three years of study, with first-year attrition reaching as high as 60% in some institutions. Meanwhile, the national graduation rate is estimated at just 17%, representing enormous personal setbacks, as well as a drag on skills development and productivity.

However, the challenge is not a lack of talent or ability. Rather, it’s a system that still measures commitment by physical presence rather than by competence or effort.

Flexibility is the new currency of education

In response, South Africa’s education sector must evolve to better serve this generation of learners. This is a generation that is mobile, digital, and resource constrained. Education must acknowledge these realities and adapt accordingly.

Accessibility can no longer be treated as an afterthought. Instead, it must be built into the design of education itself. We cannot keep educating South Africans for a world that only exists in theory. If education is meant to uplift people, it must meet students where they are, financially, geographically, and technologically.

The key is flexibility, and creating multiple, credible ways to study. Tertiary institutions must adopt flexible learning frameworks that allow students to study how and when they can without compromising academic quality.

At the Academic Institute of Excellence (AIE), this shift has taken shape through three adaptive learning models designed around real-world challenges:

• Full-time hybrid learning: A modern twist on traditional full-time study that allows students to attend lectures on campus, online, or both, depending on their needs and circumstances. When students lose power or connectivity at home, they can simply continue their studies at AIE’s fully equipped campuses. Their education doesn’t stop when the lights go out.

• Full-time online learning: A technology-driven platform that removes geographical barriers and allows students to learn from anywhere in South Africa or even abroad.

• Part-time flexi-online learning: Designed for working professionals who study after hours or on weekends, enabling them to upskill without sacrificing their livelihoods.

Each model eliminates a specific barrier to entry, whether that be distance, time, or infrastructure, all without compromising on the lecturer-student exchange – whether in-person or remote. Each model is powered by AIE’s myWay Hybrid Learning System, which uses smart screens, digital whiteboards, and multi-angle, real-time camera feeds to teach on-campus and remote students simultaneously. Lectures are recorded for anytime access, ensuring every student enjoys the same interactive, high-quality experience wherever they choose to learn.

This makes enhanced access possible for students, who might otherwise be forced to abandon their studies, without requiring any compromise in the quality or experience that learning through AIE offers, guarantees, and delivers.

Building an integrated education ecosystem

Recognising the need for flexibility at scale, AIE recently unified nine specialised schools under the single banner of One AIE, including Engineering, Architecture, IT, Business, Design, Education, and more. This has created a single, integrated ecosystem that offers nearly 100 accredited tertiary qualifications, all aligned with AIE’s vision of making quality tertiary education accessible to every South African, regardless of background or postcode.

Students can now benefit from consistent learning platforms, shared support systems, and transferable credits across disciplines. They can move freely between online and on-campus modes of teaching without losing momentum.

A national imperative

If South Africa is serious about solving its skills crisis, flexibility in tertiary education cannot remain optional. It must become policy. Students need choice not just in what they study, but in how they study. As the country pushes toward a digital and entrepreneurial future, institutions that fail to modernise their learning models risk leaving behind the very people education is designed to empower. When learning becomes more flexible, opportunity will finally become fair. By designing learning around people’s circumstances, we can turn education into a genuine equaliser that changes lives at scale.

Registrations for 2026 are open: https://aie.ac/