Western Cape Universities Councils Capacity Building Workshop Institutional Statutes and the Role of Council Mahlubi Mabizela Department of HE and Training.
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Western Cape Universities Councils Capacity Building Workshop
Institutional Statutes and the Role of Council
Mahlubi MabizelaDepartment of HE and Training
mabizela.c@dhet.gov.za
11 July 2014
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Outline Government Challenges Government Strategies (The vehicles) Profile of the System The Constitution (On education) The DHET Vision and Mission Higher Education Policies Legislation and the Roles and Functions of Councils
Statute of the UniversityUniversity Rules
Brief Analysis of Independent Assessor Reports
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Unemployment; Poverty; and Inequality. Solution/s Rising levels of employment; Job-demand-driven economic growth; Dropping levels of inequality.
Broad Government Challenges:Three Scourges
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• The New Growth Path provides bold, imaginative and effective strategies to create millions of new jobs South Africa needs. It also lays out a dynamic vision for how we can collectively achieve a more developed, democratic, cohesive and equitable economy and society over the medium term, in the context of sustained growth. It combines macroeconomic and microeconomic interventions.
• Industrial Policy Action Plan : Is informed by the vision set out for South Africa’s development provided in the National Development Plan (NDP) and is both framed by and constitutes a key pillar of the programmatic perspectives set out in a series of ‘drivers’ and ‘packages’ contained in the NGP.
• National Development Plan: Chapter 9 outlines what education should be like by 2030
• National Skills Development Strategy III is the overarching strategic guide for skills development and provides direction to sector skills planning and implementation in the SETAs. It provides a framework for the skills development levy resource utilisation of these institutions as well as the NSF, and sets out the linkages with, and responsibilities of, other education and training stakeholders. It is for ensuring that the energy and resources of education and training stakeholders are focused on ensuring that the challenges of skills shortage and poor economic participation which result in inequalities are addressed.
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New Growth Path (2010)
The NGP aims to enhance growth, employment creation and equity.
Its approach is massive investment in infrastructure, which is regarded as both employment provider and as a fundamental basis for economic growth and development.
The five other priority areas are: green economy, agriculture, mining, manufacturing and tourism and other high-level services.
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National Development Plan 2030(2012)
The NDP is a country plan to reduce inequality and eliminate poverty. In addressing itself to these imperatives, it prioritises the followingEconomy that will create jobs.Improvement of infrastructure.Transition to a low-carbon economy.Inclusive and integrated rural economy.Reversal of spatial effects of apartheid.
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NDP 2030 (2)
Improving quality of education, training and innovation;
Quality healthcare for all [National Health Insurance being developed];
Social protection;Building safer communities;Social protection;Reforming the public service;Fighting corruption; andTransforming society and uniting the country.
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• There are 26 universities, comprising 11 Traditional Universities: University of Cape
Town; University of Fort Hare; University of the Free State; University of KwaZulu Natal; University of Limpopo; North west University; University of Pretoria; Rhodes University; Stellenbosch university; University of Western Cape and University of Witwatersrand
9 Comprehensive Universities: University of Johannesburg; Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University; University of South Africa; University of Venda; Walter Sisulu University; University of Zululand; Sol Plaatje University; University of Mpumalanga and Sefako Makgatho Health and Allied Sciences University
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6 Universities of Technology: Central University of Technology; Cape Peninsula University of Technology; Durban University of Technology; Mangosuthu University of Technology; Tshwane University of Technology and Vaal University of Technology
50 Technical Vocational Education and Training Colleges
23 Sector Education and Training Authorities+/- 75 Registered Private HE Providers
… Size and Shape
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1. Traditional Universities offer undergraduate and postgraduate higher education leading towards academic degrees in a variety of subjects. They are expected, encouraged and required to conduct some research.
They are largely characterized by offering theoretically-oriented university degrees.
Differences in Missions
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They offer technological career directed educational programmes, focusing on innovative problem solving research and engages with government/ businesses/ industry with communities as end users. In addition to the basic responsibilities of a university, a university of technology places particular emphasis on the search for innovative applications of technology in all fields of human endeavour.
A university of technology is largely characterised by the following:
- Career-orientated: educates people for the world of work
- Relevant: industry makes input into its diploma and degree programmes
- Practical: programmes are practical and hands-on (what you need to know and how you need to apply it)
- Work-integrated Learning: experiential learning is part of the qualification and enables graduates to integrate into the workplace with ease
- Applied research: research is practical and applied. It seeks solutions to modern day problems
Universities of Technology
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They offer both traditional degrees and career focused programmes, a combination of theoretically-oriented university degrees and university of technology programmes. They are characterized by the following:
•Diversity – through the offering of a diverse range of academic programmes (vocational, career-focused, professional and general formative) of both university and technikon type.
• Accessibility – through the opportunities created by a variety of entry and exit points.
• Student mobility – through developing strong vertical and horizontal articulation pathways.
• Responsiveness – through the development of a suite of educational programmes and research foci appropriate to local, regional and national needs.
• Flexibility – through the strengthening of relationships with community, civic, government, business, and industry partners for local and regional development. Flexibility should characterise the institutions’ ability to meet the human resource needs of the local (and wider) context through its training programmes, and to contribute to the development of the communities it serves through the application and extension of its knowledge and expertise
Comprehensive Universities
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The Constitution (1996)
The RSA is founded on the following values:Human dignity, the achievement of
equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms.
Non-racialism and non-sexism.Supremacy of the constitution and the rule
of law
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The Constitution (1996)On Education
Section 29 (1) Everyone has the right – a) To a basic education, including adult basic
education; and
b) To further education, which the state, through reasonable measures, must make progressively available and accessible.
2)Everyone has the right to receive education in the official language or languages of their choice in public educational institutions where that education is reasonably practicable.
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Our vision is of a South Africa in which we have a differentiated and fully inclusive post-school system that allows all South Africans to access and succeed in relevant post-school education and training, in order to fulfill the economic and social goals of participation in an inclusive economy and society.
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The mission of the Department of Higher Education and Training is to develop capable, well educated and skilled citizens that are able to compete in a sustainable, diversified and knowledge-intensive international economy, which meets the developmental goals of our country.
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The department will undertake this mission by reducing the skills bottlenecks, especially in priority and scarce skills areas; improving low participation rates in the post-school system; correcting distortions in the shape, size and (fair) distribution of access to post-school education and training; and improving the quality and efficiency in the system, its sub-systems and its institutions
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White Paper 3: A Programme for the Transformation of Higher Education (1997)
The transformation of the higher education system to reflect the changes that are taking place in our society and to strengthen the values and practices of our new democracy is, as I have stated on many previous occasions, not negotiable, The higher education system must be transformed to redress past inequalities, to serve a new social order, to meet pressing national needs and to respond to new realities and opportunities (Foreword).
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• Key challenge: “to redress past inequalities and to transform the higher education system to serve a new social order, to meet pressing national needs, and to respond to new realities and opportunities”.
• Objective: develop a learning society to meet the challenges of reconstruction & development.
• Recommended a single qualifications framework for all HEIs to allow mobility & progression
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• Goals of the education system:– promote equity of access, eradicate unfair
discrimination and provide redress for past inequalities;
– meet national development needs through quality teaching and research;
– support a democratic ethos;– advance of all forms of knowledge and address
the demands of the local context; and– Development of a single, coordinated HE system
with diverse institutional missions and programmes.
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The principle of institutional autonomy refers to a high degree of self-regulation and administrative independence with respect to student admissions, curriculum, methods of teaching and assessment, research, establishment of academic regulations and the internal management of resources generated from private and public sources. Such autonomy is a condition of effective self-government. However, there is no moral basis for using the principle of institutional autonomy as a pretext for resisting democratic change or in defence of mismanagement. Institutional autonomy is therefore inextricably linked to the demands of public accountability. (WP: Section 1.24)
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National Plan for Higher Education (NPHE) 2001
The NPHE states its purpose as to ensure that “the higher education system achieves the transformation objectives set out in the White Paper and is responsive to societal interests and needs”.
The NPHE identifies both the HEQC (the Higher Education Quality Committee) and institutional quality assurance mechanisms as crucial components for the transformation of the higher education system.
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White Paper for Post-School Education and Training
Policies should still be developed in order to tackle current challenges and articulate the role of universities in the integrated post-school system, including how growth, quality improvement, equity and articulation will be addressed.
It observes that discrimination (particularly sexism and racism) continues to be pervasive in the system.
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Other Important HE Policies
Funding Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions.
The Procedures and Processes for the Measurement of Research Outputs of Public Higher Education Institutions .
Higher Education Quality Sub-Framework. National Qualifications Framework. Skills Development Act
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Other Important Policies
Auditor-General Act Basic Conditions of Employment Act Employment Equity Act Human Rights Commission Act Labour Relations Act National Research Foundation Act PANSALB Act SAQA Act Skills Development Act
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Chapter 4 deals with governance of public higher education institutions. It provides for the establishment of the following governance structures:
(a) a council
(b) a senate
(c) a principal
(d) a vice-principal
(e) a student representative council
(f) an institutional forum
(g) such other structures and offices as may be determined by the institutional statute
1. Higher Education Act 101 of 1997
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The council is the highest decision-making body in an institution and its functions are:
I. To govern the institution
II.To determine the language policy in agreement with the senate
III.To provide a suitable structure to advise on policy for student support services after consultation with the SRC
The Council
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I. It must consist of not more than 30 members and 60% must be from external
II. It must have people with knowledge and experience relevant to the needs of the institution
III. It must have people who will participate in the deliberations of the council in the best interest of the institution
IV. Members must declare any business interest that may raise conflict of interest before they assume office
Composition of the council
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Functions of council
Governs the University;
Sets the Mission and Purpose;
Appoints Senior Management;
Ensures good management;
Accountable for financial resources and
institutional assets;
Safeguards institutional autonomy; and
Ensures student access by approving and
publishing Admissions and Language policies
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- s.32, the council ‘may make institutional statute to give effect to the HE Act’ and make institutional rules to give effect to the statute;
- s.33, institutional statute must be approved by the Minister;
- s.34, the council appoints employees
Functions of Council
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I. Ineffective leadership by chairs/deputy chairs of councils
II. Capacity in which members functionIII. Inexperience of council membersIV. Unacceptable conduct by council
membersV. Meeting procedures
Council Failures according to Analysis of Independent Assessor Reports
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Solutions- Reduction in size of councils- Mandatory council inductions- Mandatory council planning sessions- Regular VC reports at all council meetings
on set of institutional indicators- (attendance of all council and sub-
committees meetings)
Inexperience of council members
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Findings- Interference with procurement,
admissions, staff appointment- Undoing VC decisions- Organising vendettas against VC or
executive management- Non declaration of interests- Promoting factionalism on council- Seeking control of institutions
Unacceptable conduct by council members
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Solutions- Application of council rules, approved
meeting procedures, code of conduct, performance assessment of council
- Inclusion of above in induction package- Register of interests, declaration at every
meeting- Council Code of Conduct/Ethics
Committee
Unacceptable conduct by council members
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- Always endeavour to appoint/obtain council members with the necessary and requisite skills to council;
- Always seek cohesion within council and, where possible, arrive at decisions by consensus (rather than by vote);
- Council should assess its performance;- For council to perform maximally,
capacitate and strengthen the office of the Registrar;
- Loyalty must always be to council and the state rather than to stakeholders
General Considerations
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