The Post-Election Political Climate & Policy Terrain: What are the Implications for

Unisa?

Presented at the DISA Strategic Discussion Forum

25 June 2009Professor George Subotzky

Executive Director: Information & Strategic Analysis

SDF 2009/3

1. Throughput & Success Conceptual Model2. 2009 Student Satisfaction Survey

Distinctive Features of SDF• It focuses on current institution-wide strategic matters• It provides for institution-wide participation• It consists of presentations by internal and external

experts, respondents’ reflections on these, followed by open debate

• Wherever possible, discussion documents will be prepared and disseminated beforehand

• The purpose of this is to encourage rigorous, robust, critical and evidence-based engagement on key issues of current strategic importance to Unisa

• The overall aim is to contribute to the IOP objective of building common conceptual understanding of strategic issues, with critical space for the airing and debating of different perspectives

Introduction & Background• Importance of strategic environmental scanning – key

element of support for management, decision-making and planning

• Recent national elections, new government and restructured and expanded Cabinet: developments which have undoubted strategic significance

• DISA Policy briefing document: circulated at May Management Lekgotla– Rather quick and dirty– Analytic point of departure: Polokwane resolutions– Analysis of press statements and news items (to date)

• Collective process of arriving at institutional perspective– Purpose of Policy Briefing & SDF: to catalyse critical

debate

Overview

• Polokwane resolutions• Governance climate• The new cabinet• Likely policy priorities and issues• Conclusion

The Polokwane Resolutions1. The overarching vision that informs ANC

education policy is People's Education for People's Power.

2. A policy on affirmative measures for HDIs with specific emphasis on infrastructure, access and staff provisioning.

3. The establishment of a national education evaluation and development unit for purposes of monitoring, evaluation and support.

4. The no fee schools be expanded to 60% by 2009.5. Progressively introduce free education for the

poor until undergraduate level.6. The ANC to focus rigorously on the quality of

education.7. Education must be prioritised as one of the most

important programmes for the next five years.

Other resolutions• Opportunities for Unisa:

– Schooling– ABET– FET

• Keep a proactive eye on developments

Governance Climate• Climate under Asmal and Pandor at times

severely strained, antagonistic and even conflictual

• Roots:– Ideological tradition of the struggle: emphasis

on role of central planning and policy in social change

– Link to this, perception of HE sector as self-seeking marketeers, obstructive of national interest

• Comparatively strong, centralist regulatory/legislative environment, shaped by 3 regulatory levers

• Danger of uncritically conflating state, government, the ruling party, national interest and ‘the people’ – closes down critical space

The New Cabinet• Size & Shape• Two (and more) centres of power: respective and

appropriate roles in policy process– Luthuli House and Cabinet– Within Cabinet

• Role of National Planning Commission vs Treasury• Coordination among new clusters

• Performance Monitoring and Evaluation• New HET Ministry

– Generally welcomed– Key challenges:

• Coordination of HET, FET & Skills Development• Capacity

Likely Policy Priorities & Issues1. Equity and pro-poor issues

– Free UG education (recent retraction)– NSFAS: focus on expanded coverage for needy

2. Relations with the sector– Personal Style & Background– Likely to drive policy strongly from centre– Funding: larger pie, but more purposefully

steered towards required policy priorities & outcomes through earmarking

3. Mergers– Initial indication of review (recent retraction)– Focus on transformation: problem of

“absorption”

Likely Policy Priorities & Issues (2)4. Skills directorate and FET sector

– Dire need to integrate HET, FET, HRD & Skills Development initiatives

– Clarity on epistemological foundations of differentiation and articulation

– Capacity?5. Transformation

– Given his background, likely strong emphasis and substance and direction

– Soudien Report– Gender and poverty discrimination as well as race– Key challenge: identifying practical measures to

address micro-political dimensions

Conclusion • Interesting times: New president, new

government, new cabinet, new Ministry• Remains to be seen:

– Balance between change and continuity– Extent to which pre-election (especially pro-

poor) rhetoric is turned into effective, practical measures amidst the constraints of actual government

• To deliver, capacity needed• Tracking and monitoring future developments will

be illuminating and, no doubt, of great ongoing strategic significance for Unisa