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The South African Higher Education System: Key Policies and Statistics

This article provides an overview of key policies and statistics related to the South African higher education system, including policy frameworks, national planning commissions, and the focus on strengthening the doctorate. It also highlights issues such as low participation rates, the need for increased efficiency, and the importance of internationalization. The article concludes with a discussion on the current state of the system and the challenges it faces.

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The South African Higher Education System: Key Policies and Statistics

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  1. The South African Higher Education System: Key Policies and Statistics • Forum on Higher Education in South Africa and China • 26–27 November 2013 • Nico Cloete • 26 November 2013

  2. Policy Frameworks in SA • Policies: Implementation strategies – legislation and funding • Incentives: direct – indirect • Symbolic (compensatory legitimation) • National – institutional (development- support- incentives) • Policy Moments in SA • 1996/7 National Commission on Higher Education Report, Green and White Paper (1997) • 2000/1 Council Higher Education Differentiation report, National Plan on Higher Education • 2004 mergers of intuitions and funding linked to enrolment planning • 2008 new funning framework fully operational, end of Programme Qualification Mix reviews • 2011 latest accredited HEMIS data, and start of Green Paper and National Development Plan 2030 process.

  3. Diagnosis: National Planning Commission (2011) • From Numerous Reviews (World Bank; Harvard; WEF) • low participation and high attrition rates • medium knowledge producing • insufficient capacity for adequate skills production • differentiated (not formal policy) • minority (+/- five ) of ‘chronic crisis’ institutions (bad press) • Shift from Equity to Development, and the Return of Equity (Transformation Oversight Committee, 2013) • SA continually paralysedby inability to prioritise

  4. Shape of the SA Post-School System (2010)

  5. Gross enrolment ratio and global competitiveness

  6. Graduates by field of study

  7. Throughput of graduates

  8. Race composition of SA universities

  9. Research output of academic staff

  10. Impact of SA science

  11. Figure 2: R&D expenditure

  12. Higher education income

  13. A differentiated public university system

  14. Policy Focus to Strengthening the Doctorate Doctoral enrolment must grow – absent in NCHE, symbolic in White Paper, stronger in National Plan and strong funding from 2008 (ranging from $40 000 to $60 000 per student/graduate). Priority in NDP 2030 with graduate targets (from 1500 to 5000 in 2030. Focus on SET and business management. 2. Output efficiency must improve - from 1997 focus on efficiency in general, 2008 funding weak on efficiency, 2012 Green Paper and NDP much more explicit (throughput of 75%). CHET and CREST performance and efficiency indicators (symbolic) 3. Academic staff must have PhD - Financial and Fiscal Commission (2012) and NDP (increase from 35% to 75%) 4. Internationalisation - NPHE (2001) and Green Paper (2012) encourages post graduate recruitment, particularly SADC 5. Differentiation – policy covert/ambiguous, funding explicit

  15. Figure 1: The rise of doctorates (1998–2006)

  16. Growth in PhD graduates in South Africa: 1920-2011 Source: Garbers (1960), DNO (1982), DoE (1999), DHET (2013)

  17. Average annual growth rate of PhD graduates: 1920–2011 Source: Garbers (1960), DNO (1982), DoE (1999), DHET (2013)

  18. Average shares of the doctoral graduates in the various fields of study, 1996 to 2011 Source: DoE (1999), SAPSE; DHET (2013), HEMIS data (2000-2013)

  19. Progress of 2004 intakes of new doctoral students after 7 years, according to bands of performance

  20. Progress of the 2004 cohort of new doctoral entrants by nationality, gender and race after 7 years Source: DHET (2013). PhD cohort studies.

  21. Comparison of international PhD completion rates Completion Rate

  22. Percentage of the academic staff with doctorates by institution, 2011 Source: DHET (2013), HEMIS data (2000-2013)

  23. Comparison of PhD production in South Africa with a number of selected OECD countries, 2000 and 2011 Source: OECD (2013) Graduates by field of study, data extracted on 4 July 2013.

  24. Where Are We at End of 2013? Autonomy -a big issue for some universities, but Higher Education SA divided Differentiation – official policy but no clear implementation steps Knowledge production - (postgraduate, doctorate, research output) very strong with Presidency and Dept Science and Technology Efficiency– DST, DHET and CHE using performance indicators Equity – Equity Index (DHET) Shift from Equity to Development, and the Return of Equity (Transformation Oversight Committee, 2013) SA continually paralysedby inability to prioritise

  25. Dr Nico Cloete ncloete@chet.org.za www.chet.org.za

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