Chaya Herman

Expanding Doctoral Education in South Africa: Pipeline or Pipedream?.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss both the status of the PhD in South Africa and the feasibility of the countrys aspiration to increase by fivefold the production of PhDs by 2025. Based on the first empirical studies on doctoral education in South Africa, it argues that in order to move towards this target, an expanded and coordinated effort is necessary. This includes the removal of barriers that hinder the expansion of the South African higher education system. In particular the paper highlights insufficient funding, policy that stands in the way of expansion, scarcity of students, limited supervisory capacity and lack of recognition of the value of the doctorate and higher learning, as well as limited and inadequate partnerships. The main question is whether South Africa can achieve the desired outcome by following international trends or whether the expansion target is merely a pipedream.

Industry Perceptions of Industry-University Partnerships Related to Doctoral Education in South Africa.

An assessment of the extent to which industry–university partnerships in doctoral education, which have become increasingly prevalent in the knowledge economy, have begun to penetrate the South African higher education milieu, is reported. The factors that motivate large industries in developing countries such as South Africa to invest in doctoral education are explored and the nature of these relationships is examined. The data indicate the ambivalent attitude of those in industry to doctoral education in South Africa: knowledge at PhD level is regarded variously as ‘desirable’, ‘a luxury’ or ‘superfluous’, with industry in general preferring lower-grade skills. It is suggested that the low level of interest in doctoral education may relate, among other factors, to the ‘brain drain’ of graduates as well as to the overall commitment to R&D in the country, which is low in relation to global benchmarks, forcing industry to conduct research and innovation further afield.

Looking back at doctoral education in South Africa

This article provides a quantitative picture of doctoral education in South Africa up to 2010, from the time the first doctorate was awarded in 1899. It identifies the different institutional profiles and emphases of doctoral graduation in South African universities at various periods of time in the context of economic, political and social change. In addition, it analyses the progress that has taken place in attaining the national goal of equity, redress and increased research production to allow South Africa to become a player in the knowledge economy. The article is based on a comprehensive database of all the doctoral degrees awarded by South African universities for over a century. This database was compiled by triangulating various data sources.

Barriers and challenges private higher education institutions face in the management of quality assurance in South Africa

With globalisation and the rise of the knowledge economy, there has been a worldwide increase in demand for higher education (HE) which has resulted in the proliferation of private higher education institutions (PHEIs). Subsequently, quality assurance (QA) and the management of the QA processes of these institutions have become increasingly important. QA of PHEIs in South Africa is a contested area. On the one hand, it aims at protecting the public from unscrupulous providers, on the other, the complexity of the QA legislative framework has become a major concern to private providers. This qualitative study focused on the experiences of PHEIs in South Africa in the management of QA, while at the same time complying with QA and accreditation processes. Based on the Octet of Quality in Higher Education, a model adapted from Zaki and Zaki Rashidi (2013); the findings identified three major categories related to the barriers and challenges particular to PHEIs as they engage in the management of QA; namely, resources, such as physical and financial resources; capacity development, such as staff roles and responsibilities, academic leadership and development, and research; and programme design, including curriculum design.

Can education innovations be sustained after the end of donor funding? The case of a reading intervention programme in Zambia

Abstract This article explores the sustainability of donor-supported innovations in the education sector. Accordingly, a case study was conducted of a programme (Primary Reading Programme) implemented in Zambian primary schools which was intended to improve literacy levels. The programme was initially supported by the Department for International Development (DFID). The study found that after the withdrawal of donor support, the programme was poorly sustained with many aspects being drastically altered or discontinued. Variables influencing programme sustainability included project-level factors associated with the programme design, stakeholder ownership/motivation, resource provision, and monitoring and evaluation. Contextual-level factors related to sustainability included school attributes, the country’s socio-economic status and changes in policies. Sustainability was also associated with the negative attitude stakeholders had towards donor-supported innovations (project mentality). A critical finding of this study is that innovations that include inputs and activities that are beyond the socio-economic capacity of the beneficiaries may prove difficult to sustain. Consequently, one of the main recommendations emanating from this research is that innovations should be designed in such a way that they do not include excessive activities or tools, or attempt to deliver benefits, that are beyond the socio-economic capacity of the beneficiaries.

Integrating Entrepreneurship Education across University-Wide Curricula: The Case of Two Public Universities in Tanzania.

This qualitative case study explores the integration of entrepreneurship education (EE) across the curricula in two public universities in Tanzania. Based on Shapero’s model of the entrepreneurial event, the feasibility and desirability of EE in the selected universities are analysed. In-depth interviews and document analysis were used for data collection. The findings show that cross-curricula EE remains limited, largely because its implementation does not fit the pedagogical needs of some disciplines. However, the study highlights the significant role of donor support in enhancing the feasibility of fostering EE across the curricula.