the voice of higher education leadership a brief history of the future south african higher...
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THE VOICE OF HIGHER EDUCATION LEADERSHIP
A brief history of the futureSouth African higher education since democracy
Patrick Fish
23 May 2007
UP, Pretoria
Punting HESA
• Comprises 23 Vice-Chancellors of public higher education institutions
• Constructive working relationships with other stakeholders actively pursued: government departments, business, international counterparts
• Building public confidence and support for HE – akin to US’s Solutions For Our Future
• Activities:– HIV and AIDS programme
– Building leadership capacity
– Into and out of higher education
Comparing systems • USA HE
• 17.4 million students enrolled
• 1,000 colleges and universities
• Colleges and universities - $315 billion
• Total expenditure for education 7.5% of US GDP
SA HE• 737,000 students at public
universities, 23 public universities
• Also 2 National Institutes – Mpumalanga & Northern Cape
• 50 public FET Colleges 378,000• 92 Privates – 30,000• Public universities - $3.1 billion
expenditure• Total expenditure for education
5.4% of SA GDP (2002-2004)
African HE – a snapshot54 Countries with only 300 institutions that could be called universities.
• Botswana• 1 public university and private providers • 12 000 students
• Angola• 1 public & four private universities• 20 000 students
• DRC• 3 public and 263 private institutions (29% of which are approved)
• Tanzania• 5 public, 2 colleges and 6 private institutions • 29 200 in public and 1 450 in private institutions
• Zambia• 2 universities, 2 colleges and 14 Teacher’s colleges• 10 000 students at the 2 universities
• Zimbabwe• 7 public and 5 private universities• 10 000 students at UZ
• Mauritius• 5 public (8 800 students) and 30 private (7 250) institutions
• Mozambique• 2 public universities, 3 public & 5 private HE institutions • 14 000 students
SADC region – 65 public institutions and some 212 approved private HE providers
SADC region – 65 public institutions and some 212 approved private HE providers
The state of African HE• 1- 2% enrollment in higher education • 5 million students on the continent• Centralised around urban areas• Sub-Saharan African shows greatest student mobility in the world - 1 in 16 is studying
outside the borders of their own country • Ongoing brain drain – International Organisation for Migration – 20,000 p/a since
1990 • Poor doctoral output especially in the high demand areas of materials development,
ICT and biotechnology; • Persistent disproportion between graduates in humanities and science, engineering
and technology;• General lack of resources in systems that are often still struggling to overcome
colonial impacts;• Ever-increasing digital divide;• Demand for increased access to higher education;• Uneven quality of provision that has been brought about by attempts to increase
access rapidly;• Gender and class equalities which persist in the region; and• HIV prevalence rate among the 19-24 cohort that is exorbitant especially in the sub-
Saharan region.
1960
• 11 institutions mostly
based in urban centres
2007
• 23 institutions that
cover the entire country
• Resulting in a strong
physical infrastructure
Higher Education in perspective • Now 23 institutions: 11
universities, 6 Universities of
Technology ’s, 6 comprehensives
• Student enrolments increased
from 553,839 in 1999 to 737,472
in 2005 (of which 550 000 were
black)
• Research articles increased from
5,599 in 1994 to 7,230 in 2005.
• In 2005, 120,053 graduates and
diplomates were delivered to the
country, with 33,551 being in
Science, Engineering and
Technology
• The Government has provided
$1.4 billion subsidy to HE in 2006
• The collective budget of HEI’s was
$3.1 billion in 2005
• 53,000 international students
currently studying in South Africa
Policy-wise the past 15 years could be summarised as “never a dull moment”
NEPI, 1991-1993 National Commission on Higher Education, 1996 SAQA Act, 1995 Education White Paper No 3, 1997 National Plan for HE, 2001 ‘Shape & Size’ debates (2000/1-2002) Restructuring of HE landscape, 2002--2006 NQF Review & DoE-DoL Consultative Document (2002/3) New funding formula, 2003 National Senior Certificate (NSC) policy, July 2005 New minimum admissions policy based on NSC, August 2005 NAP (2001) & revised HEQF (July 2006) Programme & Qualifications Mix (PQM) & HEMIS—cycles of planning, 2003-
6 & 2007-10 Enrolment Planning, 2005 & 2007 Teacher education, 2001; Norms & Standards & draft NFTE, 2006
Policy: The driver of change
Moving the graveyard
• HE institutions notoriously resistant to change• By 2004, 30 policies on the table• Mergers – Frans Van Vught’s take• 36 institutions > 23• Creation of new types of institutions• Post 2005 – focus shifted towards schooling and FET
Colleges• From State steering to co-operation• By 2006 – NSFAS assisted 100,000 students• New agenda for accelerated growth: ASGISA, JIPSA,
World Cup 2010
NationalPriorities
RedressEmpowerment of
all citizens
Global developmental HE
Global ForcesEconomic reality
Changing workforce profile
DoE
HESA
NSFAS
CHE
HE Consortia, SAGDA, SAQA, Professional bodies
Partner institutions/NGOs
SARUA
Presidency
DTI, ICT, DoL DST, Treasury
Business
Africa (NEPAD)
Civil Society
Schools
Life Long Learning
Learnerships
Literacy projects
Post doctoral research
MA, MTech PhD
Undergraduate Degrees/Diplomas
FET
Higher
Education
• Students as customers demanding different curricula.
• Greater reliance on part-time, contract academics.
• Greater amounts of time spent by academics on bureaucratic
functions.
• Repository of knowledge increasingly becoming virtual and electronic.
• Democratisation of information.
• No longer a unique offering of the university
Changing identity of the global university
Library
Research Teaching
Outreach Library
• The commodification of knowledge.
• Growing pressure on pure vs. applied research.
• Research > Patent > Spin-off company.
• Research academics hunted by business.
• Diminishing sense of the university as embedded in the community and as representing the common good.
• Community outreach more difficult given the overall financial constraints on the university.
Scenarios for higher education
The Bazaar Scenario
• HE as private and public good• Move from competition to alliances.• Centres of HE excellence – teaching and
research - built throughout the world. • Easy access for students to migrate their
studies globally.• Decline of ‘wandering/wondering’
research • Collaborative research that harnesses the
best minds of the world into distinct projects.
• Sustainable revenue streams.• Creation of critical and compassionate
citizens• HE as example of inquisitive
collaboration, not acquisitive competition. • Realisation of ‘the nomadic lifelong
learner’.
The Bazaar Scenario
• HE as private and public good• Move from competition to alliances.• Centres of HE excellence – teaching and
research - built throughout the world. • Easy access for students to migrate their
studies globally.• Decline of ‘wandering/wondering’
research • Collaborative research that harnesses the
best minds of the world into distinct projects.
• Sustainable revenue streams.• Creation of critical and compassionate
citizens• HE as example of inquisitive
collaboration, not acquisitive competition. • Realisation of ‘the nomadic lifelong
learner’.
The Market Scenario
• HE solely as a private good• Region carved up by ‘for profit’ providers.• Growth of corporates.• Africa plagued by homogenised and/or
inferior curricula.• Increased xenophobia and national
ideologies • Increased directed research• Decline of academic freedom &
institutional autonomy• Poorly qualified and/or underpaid teachers.• Increased brain drain.• Increased HIV/AIDS impact on students
and staff.• Closure of existing public institutions.
The Market Scenario
• HE solely as a private good• Region carved up by ‘for profit’ providers.• Growth of corporates.• Africa plagued by homogenised and/or
inferior curricula.• Increased xenophobia and national
ideologies • Increased directed research• Decline of academic freedom &
institutional autonomy• Poorly qualified and/or underpaid teachers.• Increased brain drain.• Increased HIV/AIDS impact on students
and staff.• Closure of existing public institutions.