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Funding Public Distance Education

NADEOSA 2001

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Overview

Proposed Funding Formula and Rationale

Observations

Constraints

Possible Alternative

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Proposed Components of the Funding Formula Earmarked Funding

Block Grant

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Earmarked Funding

National student financial aid scheme Institutional development and redress Interest and redemption payments on approved loans Approved capital projects Research development Other development projects identified in the

national higher education plan

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Block Grant

Institutional set-up subsidies

Research output subsidies

Teaching subsidies:inputs

Teaching subsidies:outputs

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Proposal and Rationale

Work out a clear definition for distance education

For distance education, FTE teaching subsidy input price reduced by 50%

Rationale: giving UNISA and TSA even 70% of FTE subsidy would increase their share of the higher education cake drastically

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Research subsidies: outputs

Publication units:0.75

Masters graduates:1.00

Doctoral graduates: 4.00

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Teaching subsidies: outputs

3 yr degrees and diplomas: 1 unit 2 yr certificate/diplomas, post-graduate

diplomas, honours degrees etc : 0.5 units Professional 1st bachelors degrees (4yrs)

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Teaching subsidies: inputs

FG Undergraduate Honours Masters/ Doctors

1 Y 2Y 3Y

2 1.5Y 3Y 4.5Y

3 2.5Y 5Y 6.5Y

4 3.5Y 7Y 10.5Y

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Observation 1

Notion that “distance education” is always low-cost is wrong

Cost drivers curriculum development costs numbers of students per study unit amount of personal or small group interaction

(queries, tutorials, assessment) SAIDE’s costing database can generate

different scenarios

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Observation 2

Quest for a definition that can be used for purposes of discrimination is futile

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Constraints

Can’t propose that all provision be funded on same basis regardless of mode of delivery (even though England and Australia do)

Can’t propose more than two types of modes of delivery

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Possible Alternative

Define low cost, non-interactive correspondence or tele-learning provision

Reward UNISA, TSA,Vudec, and large scale distance education providers generally at 50%

Ask UNISA, TSA, Vudec and other large scale distance education providers to motivate for full subsidy for particular programmes

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Possible Alternative

Do this on basis of curriculum and course development costs extent of personal or small group interaction ?costing

Verify periodically

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