South Africa’s growing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) crisis cannot be solved simply by producing more graduates. According to Andrew Horsfall, CEO of Milpark Education, the country is facing a much deeper challenge: a learning crisis that begins in the school system and demands a fundamental rethink of how higher education prepares students for the future.
As the country grapples with persistent shortages of STEM skills, limited university capacity and widening inequalities in educational outcomes, Horsfall says the focus must shift beyond access to education and towards how students learn.
“Every year we debate how many students cannot secure a university place, and rightly so. But far less attention is given to whether those who do enter higher education are being equipped to thrive in an economy being reshaped by artificial intelligence, automation and rapid technological change,” says Horsfall.
Recent discussions around South Africa’s STEM pipeline have highlighted concerns about declining mathematics and science performance, persistent inequalities in basic education and growing demand for STEM professionals across industries. At the same time, public universities continue to face significant capacity constraints, leaving thousands of qualified students without access to higher education each year.
For Horsfall, however, increasing the number of available university places addresses only part of the problem. “If South Africa doubled the number of first-year university places tomorrow, we would still face the challenge of preparing students for careers that increasingly require adaptability, critical thinking, collaboration and continuous learning. These are skills that cannot be developed through traditional teaching methods alone.”
He argues that the country’s education system still places too much emphasis on knowledge acquisition and assessment, rather than practical application and problem-solving. As a result, many students enter higher education with vastly different levels of academic preparedness, particularly in mathematics, science, and digital literacy.
“This is not a reflection of students’ potential,” Horsfall explains. “It reflects unequal educational opportunities. Higher education institutions have both an opportunity and a responsibility to bridge these gaps rather than simply assume every student arrives equally prepared.”
Horsfall believes immersive online learning will become one of the defining characteristics of future-ready higher education. Rather than relying solely on lectures and examinations, immersive online learning places students in authentic, real-world environments where they apply knowledge to practical challenges, collaborate with peers, engage with simulations and receive continuous feedback throughout their learning journey.
“Immersive online learning changes education from something students passively consume into something they actively experience. It develops technical capability alongside resilience, confidence and the ability to solve complex problems – qualities that employers increasingly value as highly as academic knowledge.”
Importantly, he says, experiential learning also has the potential to help address educational inequalities by supporting students from diverse schooling backgrounds through more personalised, engaging and application-focused learning experiences.
“As institutions, we cannot change the quality of schooling students received before arriving at university. What we can change is how effectively we support them once they enter higher education.”
For Milpark Education, this philosophy underpins its investment in Immersive Online (IO) learning, an approach designed to replicate the engagement, interaction and collaboration traditionally associated with face-to-face learning while providing the flexibility modern students increasingly require. “Technology should never replace meaningful learning,” says Horsfall. “Its role is to make learning more engaging, more practical and more accessible. The future belongs to institutions that use technology not simply to digitise education, but to transform it.”
Looking ahead, Horsfall believes solving South Africa’s STEM challenge will require stronger collaboration between government, schools, higher education institutions and industry.
“Building a globally competitive workforce is not about producing more graduates; it is about producing graduates who are equipped to think critically, solve real problems and adapt throughout their careers. If we continue treating immersive learning as an optional innovation, we risk preparing students for a world that no longer exists. As South Africa works to strengthen its STEM pipeline, the conversation must evolve beyond access. The real question is whether we are building an education system capable of preparing graduates not just for today’s jobs, but for the industries, technologies and opportunities that will define the decades ahead,” concludes Horsfall.