The challenges facing higher education in South Africa

1
The challenges facing higher education in South
Africa

• Kem Ramdass1,
• David Kruger2,

2
AUTHORS

• Kem Ramdass1, David Kruger2,
• 1Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Arts, Design and
  Architecture, University of Johannesburg,
• Auckland Park Bunting Road Campus, Auckland Park,
  Johannesburg, 2092
• Email-kramdass_at_uj.ac.za. Telephone[phone],
  Fax [phone]
• 2Lecturer, Faculty of Management Sciences,
  Tshwane University of Technology,
• Pretoria Campus, Private Bag X680, Pretoria, 0001
• Email-krugerd_at_tut.ac.za Telephone [phone],
  Fax [phone]

3
Fundamentals

• The Supply Chain in Education
• Primary
• Secondary
• Tertiary
• Contribution of parents
• Social upbringing
• Education as a contributor to economic
  development

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ABSTRACT

• There is a major emphasis on the education of the
  South African people to become responsible,
  participatory and reflective citizens that
  contribute to an emerging democracy.
• Higher education in South Africa is the factor
  that influences and determines the success of
  individuals, that has a national and
  international impact on the country. Thus higher
  education can contribute to the building of a
  united, peaceful, and democratic country. This
  paper sketches the challenges faced by higher
  education institutions and addresses issues that
  would improve the status of education in South
  Africa.

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INTRODUCTION AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

• The methodology adopted in the research to
  highlight some of the issues affecting the SA
  education system includes a review of secondary
  data including existing literature and documents,
  relevant research reports from the department of
  education inclusive of other government
  departments, relevant journal articles in
  education.

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Background

• In an era of rapid change that is enforced
  through technological innovations, globalization,
  market expansion and mass production, the focus
  on the most important asset of an organization,
  human capital is often forgotten.
• The change should be focused on people their
  intellectual abilities, their fear, their
  cultural background and their ability to add
  value to the changing societal needs, thereby
  working together for the common goal of the
  country.
• .

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Introduction

• Since the 1994 elections, the emphasis has been
  on the redress of the inequalities of the past.
• The South African government formulated a
  programme of restructuring the education system
  on principles of equity, human rights, democracy
  and sustainable development.

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Introduction

• Against this scenario of change, the South
  African education system still faces major
  challenges, with political instability at the
  forefront of education. This is especially true
  in terms of the tension between implementing
  changes that need both time and considerable
  resources to work their way through, and the
  close relationship of issues that need to be
  addressed at the sites of implementation i.e. in
  the schools, universities, universities of
  technology and particularly, in the lives of
  human personnel.

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Challenges

• A large percentage of school aged children who
  still do not attend school beyond the primary
  level (currently 87 percent attend at the
  secondary level and only 20 percent at the
  tertiary level).

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Challenges

• The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in
  South Africa reported that 12 million children
  live in poverty.
• Four million of these children are starving and
  40 have growth problems.
• Statistics reveal that 81 experience income and
  material depravation and many live in informal
  settlements.

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Challenges

• More that 50 live in households where nobody is
  employed. Approximately 24 are in the wrong
  grade for their age and 6 are not in school. 24
  live in households without both parents (Cohen,
  2008).
• Access to education for all South Africans are
  available to children 715 years and fees are
  waived according the financial status of parents.
  However studies and outreach is needed to look at
  those who have never attended or have been unable
  to attend school because of lack of financial
  support (Higgens, 2007).

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THE HIV AIDS IMPACT ON HIGHER EDUCATION

• HIV Aids is having a major impact, not only in SA
  but throughout the world. It is reducing the
  supply of qualified teachers and may disrupt
  schooling for a whole generation of children.
  Over a period of time, the diminishing investment
  in human capital may delay social and economic
  development.

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THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION

• The challenge is to improve the quality of
  education across the entire value chain.
• It is important to remember that quality stems
  from the quality of life experienced by
  individuals, whereby society instills morals,
  value, ethical conduct, honesty, integrity, to
  name but a few positive characteristics.

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Cont

• The development of quality principles in the
  early years of the child, continued in primary,
  secondary, tertiary education, leads to
  individual practicing quality principles
  throughout the work life.
• The schools are deprived of resources, facilities
  and qualified teachers. It is extremely
  unimaginable to have efficiency, effectiveness
  and quality in education under these
  circumstances.

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Cont

• The quality of education therefore needs to be
  increased at the primary and secondary level so
  that it prepares individuals for the tasks which
  they will receive in higher education.
• There seems to be a gap between secondary and
  higher education and the University of
  Johannesburg is addressing this issue through
  bridging programmes.
• If this increase in quality in education occurs,
  South Africa will produce professional
  individuals who can contribute to society in
  positive ways and therefore directly impact on
  the economy as well as international relations.
  

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IMPACT OF MERGERS

• The mergers of particularly universities and
  technikons have caused problems in higher
  education.
• The first and most important impact is on
  employees (academics and administrative staff)
  who have been treated in an inferior manner.
• There is believe that the university has totally
  taken over the technikon and the morale has
  diminished to a level of being non-existent. This
  affects the entire teaching and learning process
  and service delivery in organisations.

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Cont

• There seems to be an inequitable allocation of
  work within academic departments, thus causing
  further frustration.

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Mergers

• The university has implemented its processes in
  the technikon environment.
• Programmes are phased out due to a lack of
  lecturers.
• Service delivery is a matter of concern in HEIs
  as they have become much larger to handle and
  communication through the levels of hierarchy has
  become difficult.

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Collaboration

• It is important to acknowledge that universities
  do not exist in isolation.
• The most important stakeholders are industry, the
  government and civil society.
• Industry is the primary consumer of talent and
  technological innovation.
• The government provides a regulative environment
  through which HEIs operate while are also
  funding HEIs.

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Cont

• Civil society supports HEIs through students
  attending universities. Thus there should be a
  close collaboration between these stakeholders
  through a virtuous spiral of a sense of shared
  purpose.
• However, the dialogue between the state, industry
  and HEIs are patchy and uneven, thus
  characterized by a weak understanding of each
  other.

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Academics

• Talent is attracted and retained through
  appropriate incentives and rewards and this
  applies aptly to academia.
• The challenge of attracting and retaining the
  best academic talent is a national priority.
• There is grave concern about the working
  conditions and the issue of salaries of academics
  which should be debated nationally and even
  internationally.

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Academics

• It is acknowledged that the remuneration level in
  academia has not kept pace with other sectors of
  society.
• Many academics have migrated to the private
  sector and sometimes overseas.
• If this attrition of academics continues because
  of poor working conditions and salaries, HEIs
  face another major challenge.
• Academia needs to reclaim its status as an
  attractive, esteemed, prestigious and rewarding
  career, so that the best talent could be
  retained. Leadership among all sectors need to
  understand that academics are the pillars of
  economic and social development and they deserve
  recognition and rewards so that SA as a country
  could improve its current status.

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STUDENTS PURSUING HIGHER EDUCATION

• Approximately 50 drop out rate in first year
• The success rate/graduation rate is approximately
  15, and this is a cause for concern as the
  skills gap widens. With the consistent reduction
  in government subsidies, there has been an
  increase in student fees, thus creating financial
  constraints on students pursuing higher education.

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RECOMMENDATIONS - IMPROVING THE MORALE OF ACADEMIA

• Especially in HEIs, the mergers have caused fear
  and uncertainty among staff.
• The changing of management structures has placed
  stress and strain to administrative and academic
  staff, thus demoralizing them.
• In order to improve the image of higher education
  in South Africa, it is imperative that lines of
  communication be open to develop relationships
  that would improve the morale of staff.

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Recommendations

• Approximately 60 of staff members in the
  department of economic and management sciences
  have since left a particular organization to move
  to other organizations as it became a problem to
  travel to a new location. Unfortunately,
  management did not attempt to discuss and attain
  reasons for the departure of staff.

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ADDRESSING THE BRAIN DRAIN

• HEIs need to develop a plan to develop a new
  generation of academics as the country is
  suffering a brain drain and skill shortages where
  doctoral graduates are too few.
• Universities are battling to develop sufficient
  young academics that would replace the ageing
  academic population. Another issue is the
  remuneration of academics, which is lower that
  packages offered by industry.

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FUNDING HEIs

• HEIs have the most professional personnel who
  need to be remunerated accordingly as salaries
  are the largest portion of the budget. All
  resources need to be upgraded within a specified
  time-span as technology improves for departments
  to perform their function effectively.
• Funding of HEIs need to be investigated to
  provide an acceptable environment in which work
  can be accomplished productively.

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Conclusion

• The major focus of universities has been on
  research into fundamental principles of science
  and mathematics. Universities are generally
  judged by their research output on issues facing
  the country.
• The dilemma facing institutions is the funding
  formula used to calculate government subsidy for
  institutions. Costs are escalating but the
  subsidies are reducing, thus pressuring
  institutions to reduce costs wherever possible.

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Conclusion

• South Africa faces a number of formidable
  challenges in the years ahead in the realm of
  higher education. This paper provided an overview
  of the current challenges experienced within the
  education system in SA and counteractive plans
  that should be implemented to address these
  issues. The challenges encountered by the
  education department cannot be resolved
  overnight.

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Recommendations

• It starts with parents guiding their children
  throughout their educational career from
  pre-primary school until they complete their
  higher education and become responsible citizens
  that could add value to society.
• The entire supply chain in the education system
  needs to be addressed, where the quality of
  education becomes a fundamental requirement.
  Industries regard skills education as a basic
  requirement for graduates to function
  effectively.
• .

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Recommendations

• This would result in the provision of
  better-quality education and training throughout
  the value chain, thereby contributing to a
  competitive workforce that would be able to
  function effectively. The vision of this has been
  created, but is taking years to become a reality.
  The creation of a united South Africa with the
  elimination of political ties is imperative for
  the success of our country.

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Recommendations

• More research needs to be undertaken to determine
  the success of government initiatives and its
  effect on the South African people. Governmental
  organizations need to focus on performance
  management initiatives to ensure that the human
  capital employed is delivering on promised tasks.
  This is a journey that may take another decade or
  two to establish working relationships among a
  diversified nation. With a change in behaviour
  and attitude and the elimination of political
  ties, South Africa could become the most
  prosperous nation in the world.