The political economy of access and equitable allocation of resources to higher education

Abstract

Accelerated expansion of and increased access to higher education (HE) have been widely supported as a response to the social, political and economic imperatives in many countries. Increased access to and equitable allocation of resources to HE in developing countries have been advocated to accommodate the new kind of student entering HE, to increase access for previously under-represented groups, and to make HE responsive to the changing conditions affected by globalisation. This paper examines demands to accelerate expansion of and increase access to HE for blacks and to make the HE sector competitive, cost-effective and efficient in the changing conditions in post-apartheid South Africa. It argues that the popularised, accelerated expansion of and increased access to HE have not significantly improved the achievement of social equity, social justice and social development because of the external influence of global competitiveness. It argues further that the current policy of institutional mergers and incorporations is driven by demands to make the HE sector efficient and does not seem to sufficiently address historical inequities in higher education. It concludes that the participation rate in HE in South Africa has not improved as was hoped, because of internal factors including the scourge of HIV/AIDS, the declining number of matriculants enrolling into higher education and the lack of effective governance and management in some Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs).