Academics have expressed concern over the crisis facing South Africa's higher education system and specifically within universities, and the impact this has on society at large.

Speaking on the opening day of the 19th annual Southern Africa Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC) in George, South Africa, Professor Andrew Leitch, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University outlined the role of higher education institutions and the importance of collaboration to support and sustain learning opportunities.

Describing universities as microcosms of the broader society, Prof. Leitch said while the impact of protest action in the form of '#feesmustfall' and #rhodesmustfall campaigns has, at times, escalated to unacceptable levels, it has also had advantages.

For example, it has forced society to refocus on addressing inequality and social injustices, as well as brought to light the need for a more sustainable model to finance higher education.

Prof Leitch said South Africa contributes 7.1% of its GDP to higher learning, which is lower than that of other countries in Africa such as Ghana and Senegal.

He referred to ongoing student projects, the establishment of 28 incubatees, many of which are IT focused, and the involvement of higher education institutions in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project.

He also paid tribute to the involvement of industry and government in supporting student projects and innovation, making specific mention of Telkom's Centres of Excellence.

Prof Leitch added that the involvement of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in the SKA initiative came about from discussions which first began at SATNAC 2012.

"It is a good example of what can happen when industry, government and academia collaborate.... Telecoms is the number one driver to stimulate economies and it gives hope to previously marginalised communities. Africa has an opportunity to become the 'African Valley of Innovation ... if we can get this right, we can bring about the economic turnabout we so desperately need," he said.