Centre for Higher Education Transformation (CHET)

1. Centre for Higher Education Transformation (CHET) Ford Foundation Meeting Cape Town, May 2012

2. The work of CHET/HERANA suggests that it is to the global 'periphery' (in fact, the global 'majority') that we should turn to anticipate the future of higher education in all its frailty and potential. Sir Peter Scott, Professor of Higher Education Studiesat the Institute of Education, University of London

3. History/development of approach Reflecting on the role of academics/intellectuals in the struggle (Habermas) • Muller & Cloete (1987) The white hands: academic social scientists, engagement and struggle in South Africa. Social Epistemology, 1,2: 141-154 • Cloete & Muller (1991) Social scientists and social change in South Africa.International Journal of Contemporary Sociology, 28(3-4): 171-192 • Muller & Cloete (1993) Out of Eden: modernity, post-apartheid and intellectuals. Theory, Culture and Society, 10(3): 155-172 From protest to policy • National Education Crisis Committee (Internal resistance to apartheid [1987]) • Education policy units (Wits, Natal, UWC in 1989 – activists on campus) • National Education Policy Investigation (NEPI) – restructuring SA higher education started with NEPI (web) • Union of Democratic University Staff Associations -1991 (back to the street) • UDUSA Policy Forum (1993) – prepared for National Commission For Higher Education (NCHE) • NCHE – Mandela appointed participatory policy framework 3

4. CHET - capacity-building vs research policy Coffee grounds of Braamfontein • Braamfontein’s rejuvenation from anti-apartheid NGOs in close proximity to the post-apartheid development agencies • As with the implicit bargain between the ANC and the National Party, CHET’s work would be both empirical and symbolic Capacity-building without a theory – strengthening HE governance (1997) (building the boat on the sea) Reviewing first 5 years of post-apartheid HE (2001) – performance indicators Policy formation has been SA/Global (Manuel Castells – the rise of the network society ) Finding the rest of Africa – Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network in Africa (HERANA) (2009) 4

5. Networked higher education policy investigations Loosely and tightly coupled networks High profile Board, two-person office, outsourced services (pay for services) and commissioned experts (academics work for little – no consultants – must be employed elsewhere) and designated project managers Service providers Publishing: Compress/African Minds News: University World News Events: Millennium Travel IT: Tenet Financial Support services: CHEC Construct research programmes with historical/new networks – local and global Connect capacity-building – empirical research - training - advocacy 5

6. Evidence-based: e.g. HERANA HERANA Higher Education Research & Advocacy Network in Africa RESEARCH ADVOCACY The HERANA Gateway An internet portal to research on higher education in Africa Higher Education and Development Investigating the complex relationships between higher education and economic development, and student democratic attitudes in Africa University World News (Africa) Current news and in-depth investigations into higher education in Africa The Research-Policy Nexus Investigating the relationship between research evidence and policy-making in selected public policy sectors in South Africa Nordic Masters in Africa (NOMA) Collaborative research training by the Universities of Oslo, Makerere, Western Cape, and CHET FUNDERS Carnegie, Ford, Rockefeller, Kresge, DFID, Norad 6

7. Different (unusual) models/approaches Ear of the great man – Castells/Mbeki Infiltrator – Bunting Seminars in nice places 7

8. Strategically inclusive seminars and presentations Seminars are strategically inclusive • 10 to 15 seminars per annum over 1 or 2 days • includes multiple system levels, i.e. supra-national, government, university management, academics, funders • Includes experts, university representatives and policy-makers Informational Development and Human Development: Creative Synergy or Mutual Destruction (August 2010) • Participants – Castells, 2 NEC members of ANC (coordinator of policy), 3 academic economists who advise minsters or Presidency, Deputy Director-General of Budget in the Treasury, 2 serious capitalists (Africa’s richest woman), 2 VCs, 2 environmentalists (SANBI), 2 ICT (researcher and director general), 6 academics and a political commentator (Mbeki’s brother) • Main outcomes: why ICT failed and R300million grant to SANBI Differentiation: Diversity and Stratification (January 2012) • 7 senior officials from DHET, 1 National Development Plan (Presidency), 1 higher education SA, 3 university directors of planning, 8 CHET network • Outcome: DHET ask CHET to organise Differentiation Implementation meeting 8

9. “Coal-face advocacy” Dialogues • between experts • between experts and bureaucrats Presentations • to VCs and university councils • to HE commissions Representation by proxy • at government departmental level (e.g. Bunting in DoE) • at the level of commissions/committees (e.g. HE financing review committee)

11. Relentless reliance on data rather than ideology “Covert and overt political and ideological agendas will always be there, but once hard data and their implications are widely known as well as to a politician, change is to some extent more likely to move in a sensible direction.” (JBA) Leads to “empirical independence” of the organisation rather than it being an ideological hand-maiden (of government or others)

12. Dissemination-focused Publications and other outputs are conceived of as part of the planning process BUT what is produced remains flexible with an opportunistic focus In order to capitalise on opportunities and to ensure findings remain relevant, the speed of production is essential but not at the expense of quality All publications and data are open access, and published in multiple formats across multiple channels – the imperative is broadest possible reach 12

13. CHET website: www.chet.org.za

14. Publications and their distribution

15. Data on South African HE

16. Data: Public

17. Data beyond South Africa

18. The research process as data

19. Notes on data CHET has access to public data which is difficult to access through its networks CHET adds value to raw data collected by government and/or universities by cleaning, verifying and analysing source data Data is made public and focused presentations are made to government on key issues (e.g. differentiation; doctoral output, etc.) as well to the universities In doing so CHET • fills the capacity void in the ministry of HE and in many of the universities’ planning departments • provides government and institutions with an empirically-based picture of post-secondary education in South Africa

20. News: University World News UWN Special Africa editions and fortnightly Africa newsletters launched in 2008 in collaboration with the HERANA project. More than 27 000 people in 150 countries receiving the weekly global edition. Of UWN’s total of 27 026 registered readers, 13 280 receive the Africa edition. More than 6 000 of UWN’s readers are based in Africa, in 29 countries. (Figures as at December 2010)

21. Announcements: launches, conferences, mailings