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)

Higher education in Africa

Picture courtesy of New York Times

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.

South African higher education

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

Results - Enrollment

Results - Graduation

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.