Higher Education and Philanthropy in South Africa: A Civic Lens on Unequal Access, Collective Responsibility, and Youth Futures
As a new academic year begins, many South African students meet entry requirements yet still cannot register, secure housing, or stay enrolled due to fees, debt, funding gaps, and uneven support systems rooted in historic inequality. This reflection argues that philanthropy can help shift the story when it listens to youth, backs holistic support that covers real student costs, strengthens historically marginalised institutions, and builds stronger school to university pathways, while working alongside government and civil society to pursue long-term systems change.