CHE Confirms Themed Review as Sole Pathway for Online and Blended Learning Beyond 2026
Institutions that fail to participate risk withdrawal of accreditation when the concession expires on 31 December 2026.
Council on Higher Education (CHE) chief executive officer, Dr Whitfield Green, has warned that only institutions participating in the Themed Review will be permitted to continue online and blended provision after 2026.
For nearly six years, South Africa’s higher education system has been navigating a profound transformation in how learning and teaching are delivered. What began as an emergency response has matured into a deliberate, quality-driven reform—guided by a series of CHE communiqués that steadily mapped the way forward.
Communiqué 5 of 2023 laid the groundwork. Communiqué 3 of 2024 extended the pathway. Communiqué 6 of 2025 sharpened the focus. Published on its Communiqué 2 of 2026, the CHE has taken it a step further.
“The Themed Review on Modes of Learning and Teaching Provision is underway,” Green formally notified the sector, confirming that the review is being conducted under the approved Higher Education Practice Standard (HEPS).
He said this review is not procedural housekeeping; it is the decisive quality assurance mechanism that will determine which institutions may continue to offer programmes in online and blended modes beyond the end of the concession period.
That deadline is immovable: 31 December 2026.
At the heart of the communiqué lies a simple truth: flexibility without quality assurance is not sustainable. Institutions that were accredited for contact or distance modes prior to 2020 have, for a limited time, been allowed to operate under a concession that enabled online and blended provision. That concession, Green stresses, was never open-ended.
“No further blanket extensions of the concession will be granted outside the framework of the Themed Review on Modes of Learning and Teaching Provision.” said Green.
This mark a turning point for the sector.
For institutions that chose to participate in the Themed Review, there is continuity and reassurance. Their concession remains in place until the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) has evaluated their Self-Evaluation Reports and formally communicated a decision. Participation, in other words, keeps the door open.
But for those that elected not to participate, the story is starkly different.
By 31 December 2026, these institutions must revert fully to their originally accredited modes of provision. Any continued offering of programmes in a mode that was not accredited will constitute non-compliance—with consequences that may include the withdrawal of accreditation.
The communiqué leaves no room for ambiguity: institutions accredited for contact mode before 2020 that continue to offer online or blended programmes without participating in the themed review “will be in contravention of their accreditation conditions” once the concession expires.
Yet even at this late hour, the door has not completely closed.
In a final, deliberate act of regulatory fairness, the CHE extends one last opportunity. Institutions that have not yet opted into the themed review—but now recognise its significance—may still do so. The instruction is clear and urgent: they must notify Dr Crystal Jannecke, Director: Quality Reviews, no later than 30 April 2026.
This is not merely an administrative step. It is a declaration of intent: a commitment to quality, accountability, and the long-term credibility of higher education in South Africa.
As Dr Whitfield Green’s signature underscores, this communiqué is more than a notice—it is a line in the sand. It calls on institutional leaders to decide whether they will shape the future of learning within a robust, quality-assured framework, or risk stepping outside it.
Call to Action
If your institution is offering—or intends to offer—programmes in online or blended modes beyond 31 December 2026, the choice is immediate and unavoidable:
Confirm your participation in the Themed Review on Modes of Learning and Teaching Provision.
Communicate without delay with the CHE’s Directorate for Quality Reviews.
Act by 30 April 2026—or prepare to revert to your originally accredited modes of provision.
Contact the Director: Quality Reviews, Dr Crystal Jannecke, no later than 30 April 2026, Jannecke.c@che.ac.za .
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