An investigation into the allocation of resources to academia at the Central University of Technology, Free State

Abstract

The South African Government, as most governments in the world, is constantly confronted by the availability of funds for distribution to the various governmental, departments. Funding, to higher education institutions, by the Department of Education (DoE), will consequently be influenced by this situation. It is therefore imperative for higher education institutions to ensure that resources are allocated in such a way that maximum return on investment becomes a reality. A question often asked is: "How can a higher education institution best allocate limited resources to optimize returns to best meet the objectives of the institution?" This investigation was done at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) and the objective of the study was to determine whether the resource inputs were sustainable, and the allocation of resources to academia viable. The study proofed that the CUT is a sustainable higher education institution, with sustainable sources of funding and revenue, and can therefore provide sustainable servIces. With regards to resource allocation, the main problem seemed to be the allocation of staff throughout the CUT. As the CUT did not reach the graduation rates of the Department of Education the conclusion was reached that the resource allocation at the CUT did not justify the return on investment in the academia. The contribution of this investigation is that the conclusions and recommendations clearly indicated that the CUT needs policies, procedures and guidelines for the allocation of staff to the different levels of services. A staff allocation model, with the emphasis on the academia, was proposed for implementation at the CUT.