More South African students are choosing contact learning, recognising the value of classroom education, human interaction and structured support in achieving academic success.
As digital learning becomes more common, growing numbers of South African students are choosing face-to-face education, recognising the value of classroom-based learning in providing structure, human interaction and practical experience.
The shift does not mean technology has failed, but rather that students are recognising that some aspects of education cannot be replaced by digital platforms.
According to the Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) Statistics on Post-School Education and Training in South Africa report, nearly two-thirds of students studied through contact programmes.
Across public higher education institutions (HEIs), 65.3% of students were enrolled in contact programmes, while contact undergraduate students achieved an average success rate of 81.6%, compared with 70.9% among distance-learning students.
