Page 54 - CAO 25th Ann Coffee Table Book

had to report on the CAO implementation process to the esATI June meeting before any staff were employed. It was also tasked with devising cost- effective ways of securing the necessary funding in the form of loans from institutions and/or other sources, and establishing suitable means for repaying such loans. The original setup costs of the CAO was estimated by Deloitte & Touche to be R3,5m, which would be required in the first half of 1996 if the CAO was to begin full operations in 1998. The Executive Group comprised Professor R. Soni; Dr B.A. Khoapa; Professor L.M. Magi; Mr D. Sibiya; Professor T.H. King; and Professor R. Bharuthrum, with Professor J.F. Butler-Adam as convener.
In 1997, the interim Executive Officer of CAO, Prof A.L. Du Preez, was given the task of finalising the implementation of the CAO. On 31 October, he submitted a detailed report labelled ‘Current Status of CAO – 31 October 1997’ to the esATI Board. He reported that to date, the project had cost R250 000 and would require a further R5m for implementation, which had been raised by way of a loan from First National Bank. The following year would be regarded as the development year while implementation will have to be in 1999 for admission in 2000. In 1998, a trial intake for July 1999 would be prepared instead of a major intake for January 1999.
The primary goals of the CAO were stated as follows:
Student oriented goals
• To increase the accessibility of tertiary institutions to prospective students; and
• To reduce the cost of application by prospective students.
Institutional oriented goals
• To effect cost savings to the participating institutions; and
• To effect increased efficiency for institutions in their student selection process.
By then, Dr Ann Knock had been appointed and she would take up the position of Executive Officer of the CAO in January 1998.
The original setup costs of the CAO was estimated by Deloitte & Touche to be R3,5m, which would be required in the first half of 1996 if the CAO was to begin full operations in 1998.
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