South Africa’s Afrikaans-only university plans to double in size by 2025

The Akademia Afrikaans-only university in South Africa looks forward to a boom year 2025. Having shown remarkable growth over the last decade and a half since its inception, new plans exist to grow its presence in South Africa. New initiatives and investment hope to see the student count double in 2025 at campuses where lessons are taught exclusively in Afrikaans, reports Business Tech.

For those who are unfamiliar, the Afrikaans-only university in South Africa was first established by the Solidarity labour union back in 2012. At the time, the union wanted to provide lectures in Afrikaans to students. 15-years ago, the university only offered part-time distance learning and a study centre in Centurion. But that’s all changing rapidly …

AFRIKAANS-ONLY UNIVERSITY IN SOUTH AFRICA

In 2021, Akademia launched a campus in Die Hoewes, Centurion. It offered full-time classes and accommodation for students. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the Afrikaans-only university in South Africa enjoyed exceptional growth, with a significant increase in both student enrolment and degrees offered. For example, Afrikaans students can now study:

• BCom in economics and law.
• BCom in business and financial management.
• BEd in intermediary education.
• LLB.
• BSc in mathematical sciences.
• BSc in Computer Science BA in communications and journalism.
• BSocSci in politics.

OUTGROWING ITS BUILDINGS

However, rapid growth of the Afrikaans-only university in South Africa comes with its own growing pains. The popular educational institution is quickly outgrowing its existing infrastructure. Therefore, it is currently developing a new R3-billion campus in partnership with real estate developers Kanton. The site is based in Boschkop Road, Pretoria East.

When complete, the new campus will have a capacity for 5 000 full-time undergraduate students, as well as 1 500 postgraduate students. Included will be lecture halls, library, laboratories, a large auditorium, chapel, cafeteria, as well as several restaurants, coffee shops and staff accommodation. Furthermore, there are plans for four men’s and four women’s residences, to accommodate 1 500 students.

WESTERN CAPE CAMPUS

Better still, Akademia is also launching a campus for full-time students in the Western Cape in 2026. This will add to its two existing campuses in Centurion. The campus will be situated in the triangle formed by the northern suburbs, Stellenbosch and Paarl. Currently, there are three part-time study centres for students in George, Paarl and Somerset West. The establishment of a full-time campus in the Western Cape is due to the on-going ‘semigration’ of Afrikaans speakers to the Western Cape.

Managing director Marthinus Visser says the Afrikaans-only university in South Africa is the “realisation of a big dream,” and is building a monument for Afrikaans higher education. “Through aligned community and cooperation, you can achieve the seemingly impossible,” concluded Visser.