The Money Show Explainer: Why thousands of SA students may never finish their degrees

The Money Show Explainer: Why thousands of SA students may never finish their degrees

From The Best of the Money Show by Radio 702

May 1, 2026 · 9 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges faced by South African students leading to high drop-out rates.

Stephen Grootes speaks to Mala Suriah, CEO of Fundi, about South Africa’s growing tertiary drop-out crisis and why many students who fought for limited university spaces are now being forced to leave due to rising living costs, debt and inadequate support systems. The Money Show is a podcast hosted by well-known journalist and radio presenter, Stephen Grootes. He explores the latest economic trends, business developments, investment opportunities, and personal finance strategies. Each episode features engaging conversations with top newsmakers, industry experts, financial advisors, entrepreneurs, and politicians, offering you thought-provoking insights to navigate the ever-changing financial landscape.     Thank you for listening to a podcast from The Money Show     Listen live Primedia+ weekdays from 18:00 and 20:00 (SA Time) to The Money Show with Stephen Grootes broadcast on 702 https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj and CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk     For more from the show, go to https://buff.ly/7QpH0jY or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/PlhvUVe     Subscribe to The Money Show Daily Newsletter and the Weekly…

People in this episode

Host: Stephen Grootes

Guest: Mala Suriah

Topics covered

  • tertiary education
  • student drop-out crisis
  • living costs
  • debt
  • support systems

Keywords

  • South Africa
  • students
  • drop-out crisis
  • living costs
  • debt
  • education

Sponsors

Absa

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Fundi

Places: South Africa

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