Page 6 - CAO Annual Report 2024/2025

CENTRAL APPLICATIONS OFFICE
DR GOPALKRISHNA CHETTY (GOPS)
Chairperson - Central Applications Office
The CAO remains a vibrant lean and agile organization that continues to fulfill its mission and objectives while operating in terms of being a Non-Profit Company (RF) NPC.
IThe Chairperson’s Report
n its 27th year of existence, the CAO has contributed immensely to the overall success of the Higher Education Landscape in KwaZulu-Natal. It remains the starting point of any student wishing
to enroll at any of the higher education institutions in the province. Its overall reason for existence is the provision of a one stop application administrative service to students who wish to pursue higher education studies in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal. Its reach is not limited to the Province of KwaZulu-Natal but attracts students from all over the country. The CAO has remained a resilient organisation continuing to fulfill its vision of providing services in the facilitation of student access to post-school education.
The CAO remains a vibrant lean and agile organization that continues to fulfill its mission and objectives while operating in terms of being a Non-Profit Company (RF) NPC. Its continuous success is based on good governance, continuous operational excellence, and sound business practices. The success of the organisation must be credited to its Executive Management led by Mr George van der Ross and all staff. Many staff members have long service with some tracing their careers from the inception of the organization. The CEO through solid leadership and administrative nous, has ensured another successful year for the organisation ending February 2025.
ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025 | 4
The Board once again has provided the necessary governance, leadership, and support to ensure that the organization continues to fulfill its mission and vision and realize its objectives. The Board has four meetings per year together with subcommittees in the areas of Finance, Human Resources, and ICT. The Board members attendance at both Board and Committee meetings are well attended given that all Directors are resolute in wanting to contribute to the development of young people.
The year under review ending February 2025, may be viewed as another successful year for the organization. This success is measured not only in financial terms, but also on the impact to students who are accepted for study at the Universities in KwaZulu-Natal. The CAO is often first in line for students seeking a university education in KwaZulu-Natal, by providing career information, courses details and entrance requirements and ultimately processing the application for consideration by the Universities. This is particularly noticeable through the growing number of applications per institution annually including this review period ending February 2025. The downside to this growing number of applicants is that there remains a limited number of places for first year intake at the Universities.