Higher Education In South Africa Research Articles

Reflections on Decolonising of Medium of Instruction at South African Universities

The 2015/6 #Rhodes Must Fall student protest reignited the debate to decolonise higher education in South Africa and many parts of the world. One way of achieving this is through decolonising the language of teaching and learning in higher education to increase access. Within this caveat, we anticipate that this article will add a crucial contribution to contemporary international and local debates on decolonising the medium of instruction by providing evidence from South African institutions’ unique challenges and prospects associated with the quest to deliver quality decolonised education. While tremendous strides have been made in expressing the constitutional right of every learner to receive primary education in a language of their choice, at the university level, the development and implementation of inclusive language policies have been dismal at best. With the demise of the apartheid regime that significantly stifled African languages in South Africa, one could have hoped for changes in attitude and language usage in universities, mainly because universities still have discernible remnants of the apartheid legacy. This article highlights the urgent need for decolonising South African higher education, particularly concerning using English as the medium of instruction. We further hope that this study will benefit practitioners and stakeholders involved in formulating language policies at their respective learning institutions and prompt them to treat the decolonisation process with befitting urgency.

Perceptions of Chemical Engineering Students on Decolonizing the Curriculum by Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge Practices

The #FeesMustFall movement, which rocked institutions of higher learning in South Africa in 2015/2016, inspired robust engagement around the decolonization of knowledge. Students argued that the epistemological context of higher education in South Africa does not reflect the African context. Activists argued that if the curricula did not speak to local issues, the challenges facing higher education would remain. Incorporating indigenous knowledge practices into mainstream education could signify a shift away from Western dominance in the local episteme. Engineering is not immune to decolonization. This paper attempts to extract the views and observations of 38 chemical engineering students, from second year until PhD level, at the University of Johannesburg on decolonizing the curriculum by incorporating indigenous knowledge practices. The data was generated through an open-ended questionnaire. The questionnaire required that participants briefly describe indigenous practices with the potential for elucidating chemical engineering principles. Participants identified umfuso, which is the process of drying vegetables in the sun, sieving with leselo, which is made up of reeds and is used to separate light materials from heavy ones, drinking cow urine as a remedy to cure various diseases, making traditional mageu, brewing traditional beer (umqombothi) and milling and grinding maize meal, as practices which they believe had potential to reshape the curriculum. The findings of the study show that students concurred with the call for decolonization and transformation of the chemical engineering curriculum, but that there was a lack of consensus on whether incorporating indigenous knowledge practices could help achieve it, as the system of acquiring education itself needs decolonization.

An Analysis of the Contributions of Black Academics to Epistemology and Decolonisation in Higher Education in South Africa, 1940s-1990s

This paper looked at the contributions of black academics in the humanities and social sciences and uses their autobiographies as an analytical tool to help us understand their contribution to epistemology in the African higher education space. It also looks at debates on decolonisation and how their work has shaped these debates. Autobiography is one lens of doing critical analysis and understanding the progression of a scholar. This paper analyses different scholars in different generations and hopes to contribute to the search for genealogies of intergenerational Black South African scholars whose work has been forgotten and marginalised in the academic project in the humanities and social sciences curriculum in South Africa and beyond. Using autobiography as a critical method, the paper shows how black scholars from different generations navigated institutions of higher learning to achieve excellent results and produce knowledge that challenged racialised inferiority and white supremacy. The findings suggest that there is a body of work by black scholars and shows that where support is given, black scholars can shape discourse and take leadership positions in the academy.

CHALLENGES MITIGATING AGAINST EFFECTIVE ADOPTION AND USAGE OF E-LEARNING IN CURRICULUM DELIVERY IN SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES

The advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has brought about a significant transformation in the global education system. The incorporation and usage of diverse educational technologies facilitate the acquisition of knowledge in a tangible, effortless, and enjoyable manner, concurrently stimulating students' motivation to engage in the learning process. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the realm of education. The objective of this study is to investigate the implementation of e-learning in the context of higher education in South Africa, with a focus on challenges against effective adoption and usage of e-Learning in curriculum delivery. The significance of e-learning in revolutionising pedagogy through the usage of diverse learning technologies and online platforms for instruction, learning, and evaluation is undeniable. However, several obstacles have impeded the efficient integration of ICT in South African Higher Education Institutions. The research employed a systematic literature review methodology, drawing from diverse sources. Diverse educational institutions have reportedly encountered distinct obstacles in their efforts to successfully incorporate information and communication technology (ICT) into their instructional methodologies. The challenges that impede the efficiency of learning technologies include insufficient ICT resources, inadequate ICT skills, and power outages, among others. Consequently, the research suggests implementing tactics to improve the usage of information and communication technology (ICT) for electronic learning (e-learning) in academic establishments, in order to tackle the obstacles.

The Role of Culture in Shaping the Curriculum of Higher Education in South Africa

Over the past two decades, the South African higher education (HE) sector has highlighted the usefulness of a locally relevant curriculum that incorporates culture. There is also some research calling for the integration of culture and an emphasis on the Africanized curriculum. However, these related concepts (culture and Africanization) have yet to be sufficiently applied in the HE curriculum as part of the HE transformation drive. The present paper aims to present a review of the literature regarding the role of culture on curriculum transformation and the Africanization of academic material in the context of the HE sector in South Africa. The primary research method for this study is the review of the selected research findings containing issues related to culture and its role in curriculum transformation. The findings of this review reveal that the concepts of culture, and more specifically the Africanization of the localized curriculum (in the HE sector), are not yet adequately understood, even though progress has been made over the last two decades. The inheritance of colonial Eurocentric views is believed to be hindering this progress. Higher education can in this regard play a significant role in achieving the goal of a locally relevant curriculum.

‘Nothing for us without us’: Exclusion of students with disabilities in disability policy review at a South African institution of higher education

The prominent disability rights slogan ‘nothing for us without us’ which was adopted from the 16th-century Polish revolution ‘nihil de nobis, sine nobis’, means that persons with disabilities, should be involved in anything that concerns their welfare so that they speak for themselves as people with a lived experience of disabilities. This empirical paper explores the participation of students with disabilities in the review of an institutional disability policy in a single institution of higher education in South Africa. Qualitative data were collected through interviews with twelve students with disabilities and seven disability unit staff members. Informed by critical disability theory, the finding was that there was limited participation by students with disabilities in the formulation of institutional disability policy meant for their welfare. While contemporary scholarship on disability seeks to address the exclusion of historically disadvantaged social groups such as those with disabilities but without privileging the voice of those with a lived experience of disability in policy issues, the ‘nothing for us without us’ slogan will remain elusive, fragile and cliché merely chanted. The paper thus aims to contribute to the understanding that limited participation in policy formulation could negatively affect the learning of students with disabilities and consequently their timeous graduation. For genuine inclusion, all students, including those with disabilities will fully participate in higher learning.

Inclusivity and the remote doctorate supervision experience of a student with disability in a South African university

These are personal accounts blended with literature on higher education in South Africa that reveal my experiences as a patient and a disabled online doctoral student. In recovery, I encountered challenges in reading, walking, speaking, and swallowing. Using the narrative technique, this article highlights the academic challenges that I experienced as I transformed into a disabled online doctoral student. To demonstrate the strength of habitus as espoused, the faculty of education demanded an abeyance letter explaining the delay in my doctoral studies. The paper reveals delays in receiving feedback, lack of physical, and intellectual feedback from PhD colleagues and my experience of the burden of critical thinking about doctoral studies. The paper recommends that the Department of education along with higher education institutions should spell out what should be done when a higher education student(s) develops disability(ies)while enrolled and the extent to which they can be included in institutions of higher learning.

An evaluation of the use of Turnitin as a tool for electronic submission, marking, and feedback in higher education in South Africa: Students’ perspective

Turnitin has been operating for over 20 years checking plagiarism in student assessments and giving feedback to improve student writing skills and encourage originality, and over the years the use of Turnitin has been published mainly by lecturers and teachers. Thus, the main objective was to understand and determine the underlining viewpoint of students towards Turnitin as a submission, marking, and feedback tool in higher education. The research involved identifying the benefits and drawbacks of Turnitin as an electronic submission, marking, and feedback tool for students, determining the effectiveness of Turnitin tools for lecturer feedback and identifying the possible implications of Examsoft and Gradescope as marking and feedback tools. Due to the nature of this study, a quantitative approach was adopted with the use of a questionnaire. Data were collected from 51 students at Eduvos from different academic levels and analysed through descriptive statistics using graphs. The results showed that students in South Africa experience benefits of Turnitin such as accessibility and convenience as electronic tools, convenience view for grades, and clear originality reports. The drawbacks were: loss of work after submission, issues with file upload size, negative marking due to no feedback, restricted file types for submission, identification of false positives, and no section for late submissions. It was also evident that the effectiveness of lecturer feedback tools differs per academic level. These findings can be used to enhance students’ academic experience as there were more drawbacks than benefits identified in the study.

The indigenous knowledge system of Credo Mutwa: a pedagogical challenge in higher education in South Africa

This article discusses the vast indigenous knowledge system of the late Sanusi Credo Vusamazulu Mutwa as a critical and relevant pedagogy that can enhance the transformation agenda of an African university. It argues for the inclusion of Mutwa’s indigenous knowledge to form part of knowledge that will interface with other knowledges and be included in institutions of higher learning. It argues that the constant drives for an African university with an Africanised and decolonised curriculum must be entrenched by recognising indigenous knowledge holders as public intellectuals who can through social cohesion engage with scholars and students in higher education. It is a fact that indigenous wisdom remains a challenge and a contested terrain in higher education as it is observed that not only have institutions of higher learning admitted to the calls to decolonise, Africanise and indigenise the curriculum but these calls have been met with failures to recognise the intellectual emancipating knowledge systems of their very own African intellectuals. It is these tendencies that have led to the blindness of these spaces not to adequately recognise the canonical knowledge of Credo Mutwa, an indigenous knowledge system which innervates through various fields of studies.

Positioning the #FeesMustFall Movement within the Transformative Agenda: Reflections on Student Protests in South Africa

This article reflects on the successes and failures of student protests in transforming higher education in South Africa through a Marxist lens. The slow pace of change by the government in addressing structural and systemic inequalities has led to disgruntlement within the student body. In their quest to hasten the process, students engaged in protests across the country, inspired by the #RhodesMustFall movement. This article outlines the problematic areas that have led to the unrest and reflects on the #FeesMustFall movement: the lessons learnt and its impact on contemporary higher education. The reflection further unpacks what it means to be a student in South Africa and how the learning process shapes and is shaped by the student movements within universities. The study reviewed existing literature on the #FeesMustFall movement to better understand the influence of student protests on government policy and to evaluate whether any protest-based changes have occurred in higher education in South Africa.

Comparison of acupuncture education, policies and regulations in South Africa and mainland China

This review compares the landscape of acupuncture higher education in South Africa and mainland China, addressing the question of whether South African acupuncture programs meet international standards, particularly in comparison to their Chinese counterparts. The study explores critical aspects such as the position of acupuncture in the national higher education system, board examinations, core curricula, degree awards, and the integration of acupuncture into national healthcare systems. Divergences are noted in board examinations and continuing professional development, with China requiring comprehensive assessments for registration and imposing annual continuing education credits. The study reveals differences in the scope of practice, influenced by regulatory frameworks and curricula structures. While South Africa faces challenges in establishing acupuncture as a mainstream profession, China has a well-established system with widespread recognition, research funding, and integration into the national healthcare system. The review concludes with recommendations for international collaboration, increased research funding, quality assurance, integration into public healthcare, ongoing professional development, diversification of programs, advocacy for recognition, collaborative conferences, public awareness campaigns, and long-term planning to further elevate acupuncture education in both South Africa and the broader global context.

Preparedness and Response to COVID-19 Disruptions and Learning Challenges for Students with Disabilities in South Africa: A Systematic Review

The present study utilised the systematic review method to report on the learning challenges faced by students with disabilities as a result of inadequate preparedness for COVID-19 and the response to the pandemic in the context of institutions of higher education in South Africa. The studies reviewed indicated that, although there were variations between institutions, South African higher education institutions were inadequately prepared for COVID-19 and, as a result, the response to the pandemic involved emergency remote teaching. For students with disabilities, it was revealed that the limited support and the changes to the way learning was taking place in institutions posed challenges during the pandemic. Limited access to content knowledge was an issue even before COVID-19, and this was exacerbated during the pandemic. Conclusions reached showed that there were challenges imposed by the pandemic in addition to those that existed before, which were only exacerbated and magnified by COVID-19. Practical ways are suggested in which anticipative and transformative resilience could be utilised by all stakeholders in institutions of higher education, to pre-prepare for pandemics. Ways of applying a universal design for learning in the “new normal” to enhance learning for all students, including those with disabilities, also contributed in a practical way to the conclusions.

Glo-ubuntu as an extension of Global Citizenship Education: Cultivating the notion of an African university

In previous work (Waghid et al. 2023) we offered an account of ubuntu and its implications for South African higher education. The main thrust of our argument is constituted by understanding that ubuntu involves interdependent-cum-autonomous human relations that impact university education in expansive ways: independent and collaborative with the possibility of being forward-looking. Yet, what we have not done hitherto, is to examine ubuntu in the realm of global citizenship education, considering the latter seems to intertwine with constitutive aspects of ubuntu. In this article, we reconsider ubuntu with global citizenship education (GCE) and its implications for higher education. Firstly, we proffer an understanding of GCE about pedagogical praxis; secondly, we show how ubuntu can advance GCE within higher education; and thirdly, we examine some of the implications of a glo-ubuntu for higher education in South Africa.

Towards understanding the influence of rurality on students’ access to and participation in higher education

This study examines the experiences of students from rural backgrounds in higher education in South Africa in order to foster more equitable access and participation. Edward Soja’s notion of spatial justice provides a platform for thinking about rurality and its impact on access and success in HE. Soja’s trialectical account means understanding rurality historically, spatially, and socially, and enables exploration of spatial inequalities based on the interplay between rurality and HE. Data was collected within an interpretive, qualitative, case study design through document analysis, interviews, and focus groups. The findings reveal the inequalities that students experience in HE due to their rural backgrounds and the fact that their experiences, abilities, and knowledges are neither acknowledged nor valued in the university, often by the students themselves. This study contributes to understandings of the historical, social, and spatial foundations of inequality in HE and charts future directions for policy and practice.

Changing the Visual Landscape

The national #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall student protests of 2015–2016 at universities across South Africa foregrounded the need for the transformation, decolonisation, redress and Africanisation of the country’s higher education institutions. One of the ways that Stellenbosch University (SU) has endeavoured to address transformation-related challenges linked to symbols and names is with the Visual Redress Project, whose aim is to change the visual landscape of the university’s campuses. This paper explores the reactions of students and staff to initiatives carried out thus far by the Visual Redress project on SU’s Stellenbosch campus. It attempts to contribute to the discourse around the transformation of higher education in South Africa through a look at how social cohesion and the sharing of stories and identities could be achieved on SU’s campus through visual redress. It draws upon and expands on the existing research on visual redress conducted at the University (Fataar & Costandius, 2021; Costandius et al., 2020; Clarke & Costandius, 2019). The paper aims not only to provide insight into SU’s transformation efforts but to also use these responses and reactions to potentially inform future transformation imperatives and redress initiatives in particular on this and other campuses locally and globally.

Student loans: Credit constraints and higher education in South Africa

The empirical evidence that enrollment in higher education is constrained by access to credit is limited and usually indirect. We use a regression discontinuity design based on the fact that student loans are granted according to a score threshold at a South African credit institution (Eduloan) providing short-term loans at market conditions: we find that the credit constraint is substantial, as it reduces enrollment by more than 40 percentage points in a population of mostly middle-class applicants. However, this effect is entirely concentrated on women, and women granted a loan catch up with men’s enrollment levels. This heterogeneity is not explained by lower incomes in the sample of women. It implies that women have lower access to credit, or that their options for managing without a credit are more limited than men’s.

Low-income students, human development and higher education in South Africa: Opportunities, obstacles and outcomes by M. Walker, M. McLean, M. Mathebula & P. Mukwambo (2022). Cape Town, South Africa: African Minds.

Low-income students, human development and higher education in South Africa: Opportunities, obstacles and outcomes by M. Walker, M. McLean, M. Mathebula & P. Mukwambo (2022). Cape Town, South Africa: African Minds.

Editorial

During a meeting of the South African Parliament’s portfolio committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology, held on 1 December 2021, Professor Ahmed Bawa, in his position of Chief Executive Officer of Universities South Africa (USAf), identified eight challenges facing South African universities: the continued impact of COVID-19 on higher education; the sustainability of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme funding (NSFAS); the so-called ‘missing middle’ students, i.e. students who do not qualify for financial aid, but cannot afford fees outright; unpaid student debt; insufficient affordable student accommodation; electrical power instability and loadshedding; social unrest and gender-based violence; and lastly the impact of the faltering South African economy on higher education. In this edition of Perspectives in Education (PiE), the first nine articles focus on challenges faced by students and academic in higher education in South Africa.

Place, Public Good and Higher Education in South Africa

Worsening poverty and inequality continue to affect large segments of the South African population. Universities are critical in contributing to overcoming these challenges. This article looks at the relationship between South African universities and the communities and places in which they are located. The history of South African higher education shows different kinds of relationships with the places in which universities were set. Data collected from interviews in 2018 with key informants in South African universities notes their criticisms of government development policies that lacked vision with regard to the development of place-based relationships for the public good. This data indicates that in the absence of an enabling policy framework to link communities and places, certain universities, individuals who work in them and members of communities around universities have developed their own approaches. I argue that these activities indicate actions by certain members of a spatial community, which can be understood as practices associated with a public sphere. Through this process individuals and institutions can play a central role in defining and contextualising the public good role of universities in their communities.

Rethinking and redefining internationalisation of higher education in South Africa using a decolonial lens

ABSTRACT Over the past few decades, internationalisation of higher education in South Africa has been framed and conceptualised based on the dominant approaches, concepts and definitions from the global North. Using a decolonial lens, we focus on how internationalisation is defined in South Africa. This is important as definitions influence strategic directions, policies and priorities of higher education systems and institutions. We show that replication of Eurocentric definitions is inappropriate for post-apartheid complexities and transformational priorities and contributes to the maintenance of coloniality and Eurocentric hegemony in higher education. We propose a new definition, which is relevant for the South African context and takes into consideration historical complexities and injustices, contemporary socio-economic realities, and the need for epistemic decolonisation. We hope that the new definition will have a progressive impact on different aspects of internationalisation and contribute to transformation and decolonisation of higher education in South Africa and, potentially, elsewhere.