8.1. Higher education transformation instruments

The ‘fit for purpose’ transformation in higher education should address major socio-economic challenges facing communities, cities, provinces, countries, continents and the world. The Constitution of South Africa guarantees the rights to life, human dignity and equality before the law. As it contains the Equality Clause and the Bill of Rights, the Constitution guarantees socio-economic rights to all, including the right to social security and social assistance for those unable to provide for themselves and their dependents.

The Policy Framework on Differentiation in the South African Post-School System (2014) encourages the restructuring process of the higher education landscape into traditional universities, comprehensive universities and universities of technology.

Its three-fold institutional categorisation means that universities would focus on niche areas of ‘traditional’ general and professional undergraduate and post-graduate programmes and research; universities of technology would emphasise career-oriented programmes with a professional and community-oriented focus, mainly at the undergraduate certificate and diploma levels; and offer, with government approval, undergraduate and post-graduate degree programmes in identified areas of strength; and comprehensive institutions would offer a combination.

Differentiation principles of institutions in terms of the three-fold categorisation include the following: • meeting the national developmental needs; • having a clearly defined mandate within the system with its own identity; • offering high quality education with clear foundation for overcoming social injustices inherited from apartheid; • addressing challenges of poor throughput, engaging in some type of research relative to the institution type; • providing the appropriate differentiated support and resources to maintain strong institutions and campuses across the continuum; • aligning with national development policies such as the National Development Plan, the New Growth Path and the

Human Resources Development Strategy; • addressing the imperatives of equity and social justice; • interfacing with TVET and other vocational colleges, SETAs, employers, labour and other stakeholders; • ensuring better inter-governmental coordination to support policy alignment and implementation in a differentiated system, particularly in research funding and development; and • aligning systemic policy drivers of planning, funding and quality assurance to ensure that various system components support the development of a differentiated system (Differentiation Policy: 2014).

The White Paper 3 (WP3) has established major objectives in higher education as follows: • promoting equity of access and fair chances of success for all, while eradicating all forms of unfair discrimination and advancing redress for past inequities; • meeting national development needs, through well-planned and coordinated teaching, learning, curriculum, community engagement and research programmes, for a growing economy operating in a global environment; • meeting digital transformation, digital pedagogies and changes in the mode of teaching delivery; and • contributing to the advancement of all forms of knowledge and scholarship, in particular addressing the diverse problems and demands of the local, national, southern African contexts and upholding rigorous standards of academic quality (WP3, 1997: 14).

The National Plan for Higher Education (NPHE) (1996) has a transformation agenda for: • increasing access for African students and women including girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Marine Sciences;