Should varsities receive a Covid-19 stimulus package?

The Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic has created profound disruptions in our economy and society.

Planning, preparation and development time for a fully online university course typically takes six to nine months before the course is delivered. The negative impact of Covid-19 on the income drivers of the university can, and probably will, be severe. Although the subsidy from government can be “protected” for a cycle of two to three years through the National Treasury, the pressure on income derived from tuition fees will be increasing, as households would have been affected by the nationwide lockdown and with the economy in deep recession, a significant number of jobs would have been lost.

The major expense item in the university budget is the salaries of staff. This item is a fixed expense, particularly in the short- to medium-term. Hence, when introducing emergency remote teaching and learning, the switch to a different pedagogy and approach, university management did not have sufficient time to restructure the fixed cost part of the budget.

Obviously, these costs need to be offset against the fact that residences were not used for some time, with a subsequent decrease in water and electricity usage and savings on catering in the residences.

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