The Transformation of Higher
Education in South Africa
The new Higher Education Act enacted by the South African Parliament
in 1997 and assented to by President Nelson Mandela on 26 November 1997
was the culmination of a process which began in January 1995. The President
had then appointed a National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE)
to provide the new government with a policy framework for the fundamental
transformation of South Africa's higher education sector. Higher education
institutions comprise the universities, technikons, and the nursing,
agriculture, and teacher training colleges.
Prior to its transformation, the sector was a racially fragmented system.
Gross distortions and inequities existed, including: a lack of equity
in the distribution of resources to institutions; enormous disparities
between historically black and historically white institutions in terms
of facilities and capacities; a skewed distribution of the student population
in the disciplines, with no more than a handful of non-white students
in fields such as the sciences, engineering, and technology; and governance
characterized by fragmentation, inefficiency, and ineffectiveness.
However, despite the negative consequences of the apartheid legacy,
the system as a whole is the most developed in Africa, with substantial
resources. Some institutions had developed internationally competitive
research and teaching capacities. These valuable features and achievements
needed to be retained. But the system's inequities, imbalances, and
distortions needed to be addressed in order to meet the challenges of
a non-racial democratic society.
A participatory, interactive process
A particular and important feature in the process of transformation
was the commission's mode of operation. Many landmark reports in the
history of African higher education have been no more than the informed
views of their authors. In contrast, the South African NCHE chose an
interactive mode of operation aimed at involving higher education stakeholders
in the process of formulation of the country's new higher education
policies. Its core work was undertaken through five task groups which
investigated the following issues: analysis of the existing situation;
future needs and priorities; governance; financing; and the institutional
and qualifications framework. The task groups were supported by numerous
technical committees and working groups which dealt with specific areas
of the commission's work. Research papers were commissioned in relevant
areas and consultants were used in seminars and workshops. In all, some
100 researchers from within and outside the country participated in
the work of the task groups, technical committees, and working groups.
In addition to this, stakeholders made 123 submissions and there were
public hearings as well as visits by the commission to a wide range
of institutions.
Following these activities, the sector reports prepared by the five
task groups were synthesized into a discussion document entitled A Framework
for Transformation which was published in April 1996. Widely disseminated,
the document stimulated vibrant debates among stakeholders in national,
regional, and local workshops and in interest group meetings throughout
the country. In order to take account of international developments,
a seminar on the discussion document was also hosted by the commission
in Salzburg, Austria. Prominent issues in the debates and consultations
were: the purpose and goals of higher education; enrolment and capacity;
governance; funding and other financial issues; the position and role
of higher education institutions, including those of the colleges and
non-university institutions; private provision of higher education;
distance education; quality; research and postgraduate education; redressing
the system, etc. Subsequent to the debates and consultations, a final
report was drafted. It was completed in August 1996 and was widely disseminated.
A Green Paper setting out the government's preliminary response, issued
in December 1996, prompted further public debate and consultations.
The latter were taken into account in the Government's White Paper on
Higher Education Transformation and in the Higher Education Act of 1997.
Recommendations of the Commission
The commission made the following key recommendations:
- student enrolment should be expanded and access should be broadened
to reach a wider distribution of social groups and classes, including
adult learners. This key recommendation is central to the framework
underpinning the transformation of higher education in South Africa.
- efforts should be made towards greater responsiveness to societal
needs and interests;
- there is a need for increased cooperation and partnership in the
structures of governance, both at the system and institutional levels.
These recommendations are reflected in the government White Paper and
in the new Higher Education Act.
Other NCHE recommendations included:
- higher education should be designed, planned, managed and funded
as a single coordinated system comprising universities, technikons
and colleges. This does not preclude functional differentiation within
a single coordinated higher education system;
- higher education qualifications should be aligned with those of
the National Qualifications Framework. Adequate channels, as well
as flexible entry and exit points, should exist to facilitate horizontal
and vertical mobility;
- a strategic public funding framework should be established taking
into account the number of students in different fields and levels
of study, and addressing the special needs of institutions such as
equity, redress, research infrastructure, etc;
- a Higher Education Quality Committee should be established which
would be responsible for program accreditation, institutional auditing,
and quality promotion;
- distance education and resource based learning in higher education
should be encouraged and given greater priority.
These recommendations also feature in the Government White paper and
in the Higher Education Act
A new vision of higher education in South Africa
The White Paper recognizes the important role which private provision
plays in expanding access to higher education. The Higher Education
Act therefore establishes a regulatory framework for the registration
of private institutions with the necessary infrastructure and resources
to provide and sustain quality higher education. With regard to research,
the production, advancement, and dissemination of knowledge, and the
development of high level human resources are emphasized as core functions
of the higher education system.
Concerning system level governance, the White Paper provides for the
strengthening of the higher education branch in the ministry of education.
Furthermore, the Act establishes a Council on Higher Education (CHE)
as a major statutory body responsible for providing independent strategic
advice to the minister of education, and for ensuring and promoting
quality in the higher education sector. The Higher Education Act also
enunciates the Council's composition and mode of operation along the
lines of cooperative governance. This provides for institutional autonomy
and academic freedom, while assuring accountability as well as participation
in institutional governance by stakeholders.
In summary, the White Paper presents a new vision for higher education
in South Africa, the purposes of which are:
- To meet the learning needs and aspirations of individuals through
the development of their intellectual abilities and aptitudes throughout
their lives, and to equip them to make the best use of their talents
and the opportunities offered by society for self-fulfillment;
- To promote equity of access and fair chances of success to all who
are seeking to realize their potential through higher education;
- To meet, through well-planned and coordinated teaching, learning,
and research programs, national development needs, including the high-skilled
employment needs presented by a growing economy operating in a global
environment;
- To support a democratic ethos and a culture of human rights by educational
programmes and practices conducive to critical discourse, creative
thinking and cultural tolerance;
- To contribute to the advancement of all forms of knowledge and scholarship,
and in particular address the diverse problems and demands of the
local, national, southern African and African contexts, and uphold
rigorous standards of academic quality.
Lessons learned
The important lesson for us all lies in the process which has resulted
in a balanced framework for the higher education sector. The framework
is intended to serve the diverse needs of a diverse population in a
country which is aspiring to rapidly become an integral part of a competitive
global system. One gets a sense of the ownership of the policies by
the people of the country themselves, with the higher education community
able to claim a significant share of the ownership. All of this contrasts
with what often happens, i.e. experiences where it is external actors
who conceptualize what higher education a country needs.
The challenge now is the effective implementation of the policies.
Donald Edrong
Prof. Donald Ekong is a former Secretary
General of the Association of African Universities. He recently completed
a two-year appointment as Scholar in Residence for the Ford Foundation
office in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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