KwaZulu-Natal Universities Councils Capacity Building Workshop

Overview of the Higher Education

Mahlubi MabizelaDepartment of HE and Training

mabizela.c@dhet.gov.za

25 July 2014

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Outline Government Challenges Government Strategies (The vehicles) Profile of the System The Constitution (On education) The DHET Vision and Mission

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Unemployment; Poverty; and Inequality. Solution/s Rising levels of employment; Job-demand-driven economic growth; Dropping levels of inequality.

Broad Government Challenges:Three Scourges

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Broad Government Strategies(The vehicles)

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• The New Growth Path provides bold, imaginative and effective strategies to create millions of new jobs South Africa needs. It also lays out a dynamic vision for how we can collectively achieve a more developed, democratic, cohesive and equitable economy and society over the medium term, in the context of sustained growth. It combines macroeconomic and microeconomic interventions.

• Industrial Policy Action Plan : Is informed by the vision set out for South Africa’s development provided in the National Development Plan (NDP) and is both framed by and constitutes a key pillar of the programmatic perspectives set out in a series of ‘drivers’ and ‘packages’ contained in the NGP.

• National Development Plan: Chapter 9 outlines what education should be like by 2030

• National Skills Development Strategy III is the overarching strategic guide for skills development and provides direction to sector skills planning and implementation in the SETAs. It provides a framework for the skills development levy resource utilisation of these institutions as well as the NSF, and sets out the linkages with, and responsibilities of, other education and training stakeholders. It is for ensuring that the energy and resources of education and training stakeholders are focused on ensuring that the challenges of skills shortage and poor economic participation which result in inequalities are addressed.

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New Growth Path (2010)

The NGP aims to enhance growth, employment creation and equity.

Its approach is massive investment in infrastructure, which is regarded as both employment provider and as a fundamental basis for economic growth and development.

The five other priority areas are: green economy, agriculture, mining, manufacturing and tourism and other high-level services.

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National Development Plan 2030(2012)

The NDP is a country plan to reduce inequality and eliminate poverty. In addressing itself to these imperatives, it prioritises the followingEconomy that will create jobs.Improvement of infrastructure.Transition to a low-carbon economy.Inclusive and integrated rural economy.Reversal of spatial effects of apartheid.

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NDP 2030 (2)

Improving quality of education, training and innovation;

Quality healthcare for all [National Health Insurance being developed];

Social protection;Building safer communities;Social protection;Reforming the public service;Fighting corruption; andTransforming society and uniting the country.

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Profile of the System

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• There are 26 universities, comprising 11 Traditional Universities: University of Cape

Town; University of Fort Hare; University of the Free State; University of KwaZulu Natal; University of Limpopo; North west University; University of Pretoria; Rhodes University; Stellenbosch university; University of Western Cape and University of Witwatersrand

9 Comprehensive Universities: University of Johannesburg; Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University; University of South Africa; University of Venda; Walter Sisulu University; University of Zululand; Sol Plaatje University; University of Mpumalanga and Sefako Makgatho Health and Allied Sciences University

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6 Universities of Technology: Central University of Technology; Cape Peninsula University of Technology; Durban University of Technology; Mangosuthu University of Technology; Tshwane University of Technology and Vaal University of Technology

50 Technical Vocational Education and Training Colleges

23 Sector Education and Training Authorities+/- 75 Registered Private HE Providers

… Size and Shape

Size and Shape• Growth in headcount enrolments from 603 000 in

2001 to 953 375 in 2012 (absolute increase of 58% - ODL growth significant)

• Varying strength and quality (largely characterised by historical legacy/ competition/ mission drift and tendency towards homegeneity)

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1. Traditional Universities offer undergraduate and postgraduate higher education leading towards academic degrees in a variety of subjects. They are expected, encouraged and required to conduct some research.

They are largely characterized by offering theoretically-oriented university degrees.

Differences in Missions

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They offer technological career directed educational programmes, focusing on innovative problem solving research and engages with government/ businesses/ industry with communities as end users. In addition to the basic responsibilities of a university, a university of technology places particular emphasis on the search for innovative applications of technology in all fields of human endeavour.

A university of technology is largely characterised by the following:

- Career-orientated: educates people for the world of work

- Relevant: industry makes input into its diploma and degree programmes

- Practical: programmes are practical and hands-on (what you need to know and how you need to apply it)

- Work-integrated Learning: experiential learning is part of the qualification and enables graduates to integrate into the workplace with ease

- Applied research: research is practical and applied. It seeks solutions to modern day problems

Universities of Technology

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They offer both traditional degrees and career focused programmes, a combination of theoretically-oriented university degrees and university of technology programmes. They are characterized by the following:

•Diversity – through the offering of a diverse range of academic programmes (vocational, career-focused, professional and general formative) of both university and technikon type.

• Accessibility – through the opportunities created by a variety of entry and exit points.

• Student mobility – through developing strong vertical and horizontal articulation pathways.

• Responsiveness – through the development of a suite of educational programmes and research foci appropriate to local, regional and national needs.

• Flexibility – through the strengthening of relationships with community, civic, government, business, and industry partners for local and regional development. Flexibility should characterise the institutions’ ability to meet the human resource needs of the local (and wider) context through its training programmes, and to contribute to the development of the communities it serves through the application and extension of its knowledge and expertise

Comprehensive Universities

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The Department of Higher Education and Training

Vision and Mission

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The Constitution (1996)

The RSA is founded on the following values:Human dignity, the achievement of

equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms.

Non-racialism and non-sexism.Supremacy of the constitution and the rule

of law

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The Constitution (1996)On Education

Section 29 (1) Everyone has the right – a) To a basic education, including adult basic

education; and

b) To further education, which the state, through reasonable measures, must make progressively available and accessible.

2)Everyone has the right to receive education in the official language or languages of their choice in public educational institutions where that education is reasonably practicable.

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Our vision is of a South Africa in which we have a differentiated and fully inclusive post-school system that allows all South Africans to access and succeed in relevant post-school education and training, in order to fulfill the economic and social goals of participation in an inclusive economy and society.

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The mission of the Department of Higher Education and Training is to develop capable, well educated and skilled citizens that are able to compete in a sustainable, diversified and knowledge-intensive international economy, which meets the developmental goals of our country.

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The department will undertake this mission by reducing the skills bottlenecks, especially in priority and scarce skills areas; improving low participation rates in the post-school system; correcting distortions in the shape, size and (fair) distribution of access to post-school education and training; and improving the quality and efficiency in the system, its sub-systems and its institutions

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Higher Education Policies and other Important Policies to HE and Training

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White Paper 3: A Programme for the Transformation of Higher Education (1997)

The transformation of the higher education system to reflect the changes that are taking place in our society and to strengthen the values and practices of our new democracy is, as I have stated on many previous occasions, not negotiable, The higher education system must be transformed to redress past inequalities, to serve a new social order, to meet pressing national needs and to respond to new realities and opportunities (Foreword).

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• Key challenge: “to redress past inequalities and to transform the higher education system to serve a new social order, to meet pressing national needs, and to respond to new realities and opportunities”.

• Objective: develop a learning society to meet the challenges of reconstruction & development.

• Recommended a single qualifications framework for all HEIs to allow mobility & progression

CHALLENGES…The Post School System in 2012

953375 (public)93 000 (private)

657 690 public TVET Colleges) +/- 80 000 (private FET Colleges)Other Colleges ?

15 to 24 year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET youth)+/- 3 200 000

15 to 24 year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET youth)+/- 3 200 000

Public AETC 297 634Skills development programmes (?)

White Paper (2012) – by 2030 1.6 m in HE and 2.5m in VCET+CE

System performance: student throughput 2005 Cohort Study (ex UNISA)

Qualification level

Entrants Year 1 Year 3 Year 5 Total

3 y diploma 37 330Graduate - 16% 19% 35%Drop out 33% 18% 5% 56%

UG degrees (3 and 4 year) 32 178

Graduate - 27% 21% 48%Drop out 30% 12% 4% 46%

Masters 15 479Graduate 6% 25% 12% 33%Drop out 28% 15% 13% 57%

Doctorates 2 140Graduate 1% 14% 20% 35%Drop out 22% 15% 4% 41%

At all levels first year is critical; if UNISA included figures distorted; World bank: SA a ‘low participation high drop-out’ system ;Source: CHET Cohort Study

Academic year

Percentage (Non-accumulative)  

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 *2010By end of

4 yrsBy end of

5 yrsBy end of 6 yrs

AFRICANRegistered at beginning of year 100.0% 62.1% 53.2% 47.5% 23.7% 10.0%  Graduated at end of year   21.1% 11.5% 4.8% 21.1% 32.6% 37.5%Dropped out at end of year 37.9% 8.8% 5.7% 2.7% 2.2% 5.2% 55.2% 57.3% 62.5%

COLOUREDRegistered at beginning of year 100.0% 78.6% 67.1% 58.8% 23.5% 10.3%  Graduated at end of year   30.5% 11.7% 5.0% 30.5% 42.1% 47.2%Dropped out at end of year 21.4% 11.5% 8.3% 4.8% 1.5% 5.3% 46.0% 47.6% 52.8%

INDIANRegistered at beginning year 100.0% 70.7% 59.4% 54.1% 23.6% 8.8%  Graduated at end of year   28.6% 14.0% 4.8% 28.6% 42.6% 47.4%Dropped out at end of year 29.3% 11.3% 5.3% 1.9% 0.8% 4.0% 47.8% 48.6% 52.6%

WHITERegistered at beginning of year 100.0% 82.5% 73.7% 69.2% 20.1% 7.5%  Graduated at end of year   47.1% 11.9% 4.5% 47.1% 59.0% 63.6%Dropped out at end of year 17.5% 8.8% 4.5% 1.9% 0.7% 3.0% 32.7% 33.4% 36.4%

TOTALRegistered at beginning of year 100.0% 71.5% 62.3% 56.9% 22.4% 9.0%  Graduated at end of year   32.0% 11.9% 4.7% 32.0% 43.9% 48.6%Dropped out at end of year 28.5% 9.3% 5.4% 2.5% 1.5% 4.3% 45.6% 47.1% 51.4%Note 1: *Dropouts in 2010 also include a number of students that would have returned to continue studying in 2011

Throughput in Professional 4 Year Degrees (excluding UNISA) 2005 FTEN

Participation in Higher Education (2012)Race Gender GER

African /Black male 13.1female 19.1

total 16.0Coloured male 11.1

female 17.4total 14.2

Indian male 38.2female 56.8

total 47.4White male 48.8

female 60.8total 54.7

Participation in Higher Education (2012)

Gender GERMale 15.9

Female 22.6Total 19.2

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• Goals of the education system:– promote equity of access, eradicate unfair

discrimination and provide redress for past inequalities;

– meet national development needs through quality teaching and research;

– support a democratic ethos;– advancement of all forms of knowledge and

address the demands of the local context; and– Development of a single, coordinated HE system

with diverse institutional missions and programmes.

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The principle of institutional autonomy refers to a high degree of self-regulation and administrative independence with respect to student admissions, curriculum, methods of teaching and assessment, research, establishment of academic regulations and the internal management of resources generated from private and public sources. Such autonomy is a condition of effective self-government. However, there is no moral basis for using the principle of institutional autonomy as a pretext for resisting democratic change or in defence of mismanagement. Institutional autonomy is therefore inextricably linked to the demands of public accountability. (WP: Section 1.24)

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National Plan for Higher Education (NPHE) 2001

The NPHE states its purpose as to ensure that “the higher education system achieves the transformation objectives set out in the White Paper and is responsive to societal interests and needs”.

The NPHE identifies both the HEQC (the Higher Education Quality Committee) and institutional quality assurance mechanisms as crucial components for the transformation of the higher education system.

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White Paper for Post-School Education and Training

Policies should still be developed in order to tackle current challenges and articulate the role of universities in the integrated post-school system, including how growth, quality improvement, equity and articulation will be addressed.

It observes that discrimination (particularly sexism and racism) continues to be pervasive in the system.

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Other Important HE Policies

Funding Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions.

The Procedures and Processes for the Measurement of Research Outputs of Public Higher Education Institutions .

Higher Education Quality Sub-Framework. National Qualifications Framework. Skills Development Act

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Other HE Policies• Review of the Higher Education Act

(underway)• Review of the Funding Framework (underway)• New National Plan for Post School Education

and Training (three delivery subsystems: Higher Education and Training; Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET); and Community Education and Training)

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Other Important Policies

Auditor-General Act Basic Conditions of Employment Act Employment Equity Act Human Rights Commission Act Labour Relations Act National Research Foundation Act PANSALB Act SAQA Act Skills Development Act

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Legislation and the Roles and Functions of Council