Note: This case was designed for use (along with similar cases) by leaders of educational institutions to discuss institution building in difficult contexts.

PENINSULA TECHNIKON, : IN TRANSFORMATION1

Vijaya Sherry Chand and Sasi Misra

“Peninsula Technikon, Cape Town: In Transformation” illustrates the responses of an institution to very strong pressures for change arising from outside the higher education system. The theme of transformation in a post- context provides the backdrop for the changes—in structure and processes—that Peninsula Technikon has initiated. The mechanisms developed for enabling a shift from being a historically-disadvantaged institution to a more open, democratic, representative and transparent institution are described. Responding to enrolment pressures has also included steps to ensure that redressing past enrolment inequalities does not mean creating a new problem in the form of ‘drop outs’. The equity imperative has also extended to staffing patterns. The institution’s responses to demands for a greater emphasis on science and technology education, and for creating a ‘university feel’, are also brought out. The end of apartheid has placed significant external demands on Peninsula Technikon, and the case is an illustration of the responses that are possible in a situation of drastic and rapid change in the environment.

‘Transformation’ in the new South Africa

‘Transformation.’ This is the key theme that underpins attempts to change institutions and their structures, systems and processes in post-apartheid South Africa. In practice, ‘transformation’ of the education system translates into redressing the historical inequalities that were built into the educational dispensations under apartheid and promoting the commitment of institutions to a new social order which reflects the social structure more accurately. Peninsula Technikon, Cape Town, is no exception to this upsurge. Historically a ‘Coloured’2 institution, it is now in the process of responding to a new mandate which calls for a rapid democratisation process to bring faculty and student

1 Finalized in August 1999. We wish to thank Dr. Johan Tromp, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) for inviting us to undertake this study and for coordinating our visit to Peninsula Technikon. Many other staff members of Peninsula Technikon (listed at the end of the case) contributed to this study. We thank all of them.

2 Under the apartheid dispensations for various social groups, institutions were designed for four ‘racial- social’ categories: Whites, Indians (people of Indian origin), ‘Coloured’ (mixed races, primarily an admixture of White and certain tribes of the Cape Province), and African. The quantum of financial assistance was also in that order, with the ‘White’ institutions getting the largest amounts and the African institutions “practically starving in the bush”. At the opening of his defence when facing the death penalty under the Suppression of Communism Act, on April 20, 1964, Nelson Mandela highlighted this disparity: “In 1960-61 the per capita Government spending on African students at State-aided schools was estimated at R12.46. In the same year, the per capita spending on white children in the Cape Province (which are the only figures available to me) was R144.57”; (R = Rand). The African community comprises 75.2 percent of South Africa’s population of about 42 million. Whites account for 13.6 percent, Coloured people for 8.6 percent and Indians for 2.6 percent. In the post-apartheid era, the former non-White institutions are also labelled ‘historically-Black’ or ‘historically-disadvantaged’ institutions.

1 profiles in line with demographic profiles, and for institutional priorities that are in line with national goals and aspirations.

Peninsula Technikon was created in 1962 under the apartheid dispensation for ‘Coloured’ people. It began as the Peninsula Technical College with a student intake of 200 and 13 staff members. In 1972, it became the Peninsula College of Advanced Technical Education. The mode of establishment of Peninsula Technikon meant that Coloured youth comprised the entire student population initially, though the professional staff were all White. The staff profile remained all White until the mid-1970s when two Coloured professional staff were admitted. In the early days of its history, Peninsula Technikon’s mandate was to create Coloured apprentices for a variety of trades. In 1979, the College’s name was changed to Peninsula Technikon.3 The appointment of Mr. Franklin Sonn, a person of colour, as Principal (a position later designated as Rector) in 1978 has been seen as a turning point in Peninsula Technikon’s history. Prior to his appointment, the Soweto students’ revolt of 1976 and its aftermath had generated some pressure for change. At Peninsula Technikon the White Principal was replaced by another White person who was perceived to be a liberal, but this person was soon replaced by Mr. Sonn. At that point of time, about a third of the White faculty members preferred to leave the institution. In the mid-1980s Mr. Sonn started preparing Peninsula Technikon for a mixed student population. He introduced, in 1987, a “progressive admission policy that pushed for admitting African students, against the then prevailing apartheid policy. Peninsula Technikon was the first technikon to have such a progressive admission policy.”

The late 1980s and 1990 were the final years of apartheid in South Africa. Nelson Mandela was released in 1990 after 27 years in prison, incarcerated for most of that period in the heavily guarded Robben Island off Cape Town. The apartheid system was finally being dismantled. The first democratic elections were held in April 1994, and South Africa had an interim constitution.4 During this period of transition, some of the principles which were stressed during reform talk, at various levels in society, were democracy and participation, human rights based on transparency, accountability and responsibilities, consultative processes and reconciliation. Peninsula Technikon was also subject to the same processes.5 In 1992, in response to political pressures to evolve a democratic, non-racist and non-sexist educational institution, a Transformation

3 There are 14 technikons or ‘technical colleges’ in the country. These colleges are parallel to, and outside the, university system. They focus on post-matric technical education which is more job-oriented. Up to 1995 they had conducted only three-year programmes leading to National Diplomas. Radical changes in this dual structure were made in 1995, when the technikons were granted a degree-awarding status. Around this time (1995) there were 70,000 students enrolled in the 14 technikons and about 300,000 students in the University system.

4 The final Constitution was adopted in October 1996.

5 Some of the powerful symbols of the long struggle against apartheid used by Peninsula Technikon on certain important occasions serve to reinforce these principles of democracy, freedom and participation. For instance, the case writers were witness to the singing of Plea from Africa during Peninsula Technikon’s Annual Memorial Service (October 27, 1998). This song, by Reverend John Knox Bokwe (1855-1922), was sung at the end of the inaugural conference of the African National Congress in January 1912. (See Exhibit 1.1 for the text of the song.)

2 Committee was established. This Committee comprised representatives of the Technikon Council (the governing council or the administrative body responsible for Peninsula Technikon as a whole), the rectorate (the executive council consisting of the Rector and three Vice-Rectors), the student body and workers’ unions on campus, and was expected to oversee the transformation process. Participation has been the key process stressed by this Committee, so as to involve the entire technikon community (most segments of which had been excluded from political participation in former times) in evolving systems for the management of Peninsula Technikon.

This stress on participation and transparency was most evident during the appointment of a new Rector in 1994, when Mr. Sonn had to leave Peninsula Technikon to become South Africa’s first post-apartheid ambassador to the United States. The Selection Committee included representatives of the Technikon Council, faculty members, students, workers and the rectorate. All proceedings were recorded in writing and on video. The criteria for selection were drawn up by the committee and each short-listed candidate had to deliver a public address to the entire Peninsula Technikon community. The Committee then obtained feedback from various constituents and made its recommendation. Mr. Brian Figaji thus became the Rector in January 1995.

The stress on democracy and participation was also useful during the political campaigns that preceded the first democratic elections in 1994. Hosting various political parties and evolving a code of conduct to deal with opposing views, were some of the events that tested campus life during those times. The same principles have been applied to the development of institutional policies, for instance fixing salaries of academic and administrative staff, conflict resolution and determining student fees.

The ‘transformation process’ also included the evolution of a democratic and representative Technikon Council. After a series of consultations and discussions, a new Council was inaugurated in August 1996 by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The new Council had representatives of the various stakeholder groups, including students. This step is believed to have provided a sense of completion of the transformation process, insofar as the representativeness of the governing body was concerned.

Adjusting to new higher education policies

If the macro changes in the political environment have stressed democracy, participation, consultation, equity and transparency, the accompanying changes in higher education policy have emphasised concrete measures for representativeness in student and faculty profiles, strict funding criteria and inter-institutional co-operation. Soon after the 1994 elections, the then President, Mr. Mandela, appointed a National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE) to identify goals, policies and institutional arrangements to meet the higher education needs of the new South Africa. (Mr. Figaji was one of the 12 Commissioners and the only technikon representative.) The NCHE submitted its report in late 1996, and its policy prescriptions revolved around the following elements: • expanding access to higher education and transforming institutional profiles so that they were in conformity with the demographic profiles;

3 • funding formulae derived from student strength and institutional efficiency (as reflected in pass rates); • three-year rolling plans for each institution; • quality improvement and quality assessment; • regional collaboration between institutions of higher education.

The Education Ministry also came out with similar proposals in its White Paper, ‘A Programme for the Transformation of Higher Education’. Later, a draft bill on higher education was circulated and the Higher Education Act (1997) was passed in late 1997. Under this Act, all higher education is governed and funded within a single system, and institutional funding is planned over three-year time frames.

In the meanwhile, the Government established the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), a statutory body charged with the task of laying down appropriate standards for qualification. The SAQA is responsible for the implementation of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) which was introduced at the same time. The NQF requires that all qualifications be defined in terms of unit standards and that all units of learning be written in an outcomes-based format.

These trends in higher education policy are believed by the leadership of Peninsula Technikon to have had significant implications for the institution. • The signals have been that state funding is going to become scarce and so internal efficiencies in order to ‘do more with less’ will need to be improved. From levels of around 80 percent in former years, state subsidies have come down to about 63 percent of the revenue during 1995-97. Consequently, the contribution of student fees has gone up to about 23 percent and of income from other sources to about 15 percent. In fact the year 1997 began with the government announcing a drastic cut of 8 percent, but the resultant outcry made the government find alternative funds to maintain 1996 funding levels. • The three year planning and funding cycles have also demanded more concrete planning, especially in matters of composition of student enrolment and staff appointments. The result has been Peninsula Technikon’s first three-year plan for 1999-2001. • On the curriculum front, it has meant establishing procedures to revise curricula to bring them in line with the NQF and identifying ways in which the educational outcomes (which are determined by the needs of industry) can be better achieved.

Peninsula Technikon, according to its leaders, has been in a better position to respond to these challenges on account of a two year project on Strategic Planning which was undertaken in all historically-Black universities and technikons in South Africa, with the help of the American Council on Education and with funding support from USAID and the Ford Foundation. Under this project, Peninsula Technikon made available one of its staff members (a lecturer in Journalism) as a Strategic Planning Facilitator, and set up a Strategic Planning Committee. This Committee, which began its work in March 1995, undertook a series of campus-wide consultations on strategic directions for Peninsula Technikon. The result was the identification of five areas for attention: student success

4 (pass rates and achievement) and development; research; quality; science, engineering and technology; and staff development. The exercises undertaken as part of the strategic planning exercises are believed to have helped in responding better to the demands made on Peninsula Technikon by the government to prepare student access and funding plans. Thus, the immediate outcome of this approach to responding to the new higher education policies has been a set of plans identifying future directions in student composition and in improving the science and technology emphasis. The imperative of the three-year funding cycle has also resulted in a strategic plan for 1999-2001.

Facilitating access of the historically-disadvantaged to education

As noted earlier, Peninsula Technikon was the first technikon to open its doors to all social groups in 1987. Growth in student numbers had been steady and fairly low until that point of time. From 200 in 1962, Peninsula Technikon’s enrolment had grown to about 3200 students in 1986. Progress since then has been very rapid and in 1997, Peninsula Technikon had 8843 students (full-time and part-time). Exhibit 1.2 presents the growth in student enrolment over the ten-year period, 1987 to 1997. Tables 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 below summarise the information in this Exhibit to illustrate the contribution made by the African community, particularly African girls, and girls in general, to this growth.

Table 1.1: Growth in enrolment, by social group and sex, 1987 and 1997

Category 1987 1997 Increase % African Boys 230 2291 896% African Girls 86 2747 3094% Coloured Boys 2134 2136 0% Coloured Girls 956 1416 48% Indian Boys 49 42 -14% Indian Girls 27 19 -30% White Boys 54 86 59% White Girls 22 85 286% Race not known Boys 0 9 Race not known Girls 0 12 Total Boys 2467 4564 85% Total Girls 1091 4279 292% Total 3558 8843 149%

Table 1.2: Student composition, by social group, 1987 and 1997

Number of students % total student population 1987 1997 1987 1997 African 316 5038 8.9% 57.0% Coloured 3090 3552 86.8% 40.2% Indian 76 61 2.1% 0.7% White 76 171 2.1% 1.9% Race not known 0 21 0.0% 0.2% Total 3558 8843 100.0% 100.0%

5

Table 1.3: Student composition, by sex, 1987 to 1997

Year Male Female 1987 69.3% 30.7% 1988 68.4% 31.6% 1989 66.0% 34.0% 1990 63.0% 37.0% 1991 62.6% 37.4% 1992 60.8% 39.2% 1993 59.7% 40.3% 1994 58.7% 41.3% 1995 55.7% 44.3% 1996 52.7% 47.3% 1997 51.6% 48.4%

Starting from about nine percent in 1987, African students accounted for 57 percent of the students in 1997. The rapid growth in the numbers of the African students and the changing profile of the student body have to be seen in relation to regional and national demographics. Though the African community accounts for roughly 75 percent of the nation’s population, in the Western Cape Province (in which Peninsula Technikon is located) the Coloured population has been dominant. In fact, after the first democratic elections, this province was not ruled by the African National Congress party, which had played a prominent role in the anti-apartheid struggle and was politically dominant elsewhere in the country. There have been moves in recent years to settle African community members in the province. Such migration has resulted in “cardboard houses” near major towns like Cape Town. Regardless of this trend, which might ultimately increase the demand for education among the African community, the opportunities opening up for the African community already in the province means that enrolment in programmes like the ones Peninsula Technikon offers is expected to increase in the immediate future.

The rapidly changing student profile also demands a greater sensitivity to the needs of students, many of whom are first-generation learners. As some of the students say, “You have to get used to us”, implying that the access of hitherto excluded communities to higher education is bound to increase and that this will demand specific responses from institutions. For instance, at Peninsula Technikon, Student Affairs is a crucial area of campus life, given the participation of students in consultations on many management and institutional issues. The appointment of a Vice-Rector belonging to the African community, a few years ago, is reported to have facilitated the process of handling student grievances. Two specific aspects of this facilitation may be mentioned. Language is often a barrier to communication with students. Though there are eleven national languages, (by virtue of the apartheid legacy) and English continue to remain dominant media of instruction and communication. Many students are not comfortable in English and would prefer to use Xhosa, the dominant African language among the student community. Secondly, awareness of the cultural nuances within the African community helps in communication. For instance, understanding the differences of

6 intonation, posture and gestures associated with the songs students sing when they are angry or happy, is crucial in communicating with student delegations.

While enabling the access of students belonging to historically-disadvantaged sections of the population has been a major thrust since 1987, the special needs of such students demand that one does not, as one faculty member puts it, “Send them through a revolving door which pushes them out after a year.” This was one of the earliest issues to be taken up by the Transformation Committee in 1992. An innovative programme initiated at this time was the Access Course, which enables returning exiles and former political prisoners to undergo a pre-admission preparation. This programme is of six months duration and has four components: mathematics, communication, development of cognitive skills and a subject related to the career choice of the individual. A minimum of 60 percent marks in each segment at the end of the semester guarantees admission to the National Diploma programme selected by the student. The pre-admission programme began in 1992, and the first intake of students graduated with National Diplomas in 1996. About 80 percent of the students admitted to this programme have progressed to their Diploma programmes. This innovative programme of Peninsula Technikon has been widely appreciated and has been institutionalised as the National Access Consortium of the Western Cape (NACWC) which involves other institutions as well as the Western Cape Education Department. The NACWC now prepares students for access to higher education, and is also involved in continuing education programmes.

Again, in an attempt to reduce drop out from the institution, Peninsula Technikon’s Education Development Centre monitors the pass rates and warns about high risk subjects (those with a pass rate of less than 50 percent). The average pass rate has been slightly above 60 percent, but where failure rates are high, dropping out has been observed to be high. Other mechanisms used by Peninsula Technikon to retain students are identification of ‘high-risk’ students and the use of counselling, and a peer tutorial experiment which has been in operation for a few years now. The latter experiment has been well received and involves small group tutorials in which the academically weaker students are tutored by their bright peers. Another initiative, the ‘Work-Study’ programme, funded by the Desmond Tutu Educational Trust, enables students to earn while they study. This programme, begun in 1993, allows selected students (about 570 in 1996) to work 40 hours a month for nine months in a year. Out of the payment due to the students, 60 percent goes towards tuition fees and the rest forms the students’ income.

One important factor influencing access to higher education and retention of students is the cost associated with education. According to Peninsula Technikon’s leadership, the fees charged by Peninsula Technikon are among the lowest in technikon education. The Student Representative Council (SRC)6 is involved in the fee negotiations which are conducted every year. These negotiations primarily revolve around the students’ ability to

6 The SRC is perceived to be the “highest forum of student leadership”. Elections to this body are held every year. It is seen as the forum through which students’ aspirations and needs are represented. It comprises various administrative bodies like the Faculty Council, Cultural Society, Social Club, political organisations and Residence Committees. The SRC is reported to have changed its character, since the mid- 1990s, from a “conflict-resolving body to a student development-oriented forum”.

7 pay and the fee increases that can be allowed as a result of inflation and decrease of government support. The perception among students is that in general the courses offered by the Science and Engineering faculties are costlier than most of the humanities courses. For instance, for the year 1998-99, the registration and tuition fees for the National Diploma in Management were Rand 3860 for the first year, R3216 for the second and R3143 for the third year.7 In contrast, the fees for the National Diploma in Electrical Engineering (Power Systems) were R5997 for the first year and R6056 for the second. (The third year is spent under the experiential training component in industry.) Apart from these costs there are other direct costs of lodging and boarding. The current hostel facilities accommodate only about 1200 students. The rest have to find their own accommodation or commute from their residences. Given that many of the students are not from economically well-off backgrounds, finding financial support for them becomes an important task. Peninsula Technikon has been finding it difficult to generate adequate finances for this purpose. Donor support, especially for un-nominated bursaries (where Peninsula Technikon has the freedom to decide on use), has been declining. This has meant a reduction in the amounts per student and the number of students who can be supported. In 1997, 2514 students were provided bursaries of R4.08 million, or R1621 per student, on an average. Another 2671 students were provided loans of R12.51 million (about R4682 per student, on an average). In an effort to ensure greater credibility of the loan and bursary granting process—giving money only to those who need it—a financial aid forum, consisting of representatives of the Student Representative Council and Peninsula Technikon’s Financial Aid Office was formed in 1997. This initiative is believed to have put greater pressure on the SRC to be more responsible while advocating individual cases for support.

Strategic planning and changes in priorities and structures

One of the outcomes of the strategic planning exercise undertaken by Peninsula Technikon was the decision to focus more on science, engineering and technology (SET) and reduce the intake in humanities. The current ratio of SET enrolment to humanities enrolment is about 43:57, but Peninsula Technikon would like to change it to 53:47 by 2001. The enrolment, by various disciplines, as of 1996, is presented in Exhibit 1.3. Changing this pattern is perceived to be a difficult task. The demand for business studies accounts for a sizeable proportion of the demand for humanities. Business students account for roughly a quarter of the total enrolment (Exhibit 1.2). In other words, business studies accounts for a sizeable proportion of Peninsula Technikon’s income. The general perception among students is also that entry into business studies is relatively easy since the qualification requirements (mathematics and science achievements in school) are not too stringent. On the other hand, courses in the engineering and technology, and in the Science departments, especially those which are in great demand, require more stringent qualification standards. For instance, apart from the traditional electrical and mechanical engineering courses, Clothing and Fashion Technology, and Photography are in great demand. Fashion design is a growth area in the economy and the Photography course is offered only at Peninsula Technikon in the Western Cape. It is also

7 As of late 1998, six Rands were approximately equal to one US Dollar.

8 common to find a large number of White students enrolled in these two courses, and in others like radiology and journalism.

Targeting such high-demand courses, or “high potential growth courses” as they are called, towards the African majority is seen as a task that requires countering the lack of information among the African communities in order to succeed. Therefore, Peninsula Technikon has a Psychodiagnostic Training Centre which disseminates appropriate career option information among the relevant communities. Another factor which, it is feared, may vitiate attempts to change curricular priorities is the poor quality of matriculates of the target community’s schools. Most of the potential students of Peninsula Technikon still pass out of historically-disadvantaged schools that were set up for the Africans and Coloured peoples as part of the apartheid dispensations. These schools suffered from poor resource endowments and high student-teacher ratios. It is felt that it will still be some time before these schools are able to overcome these accumulated disadvantages.

It was noted earlier that the Higher Education Act of 1997 advocated that all higher education be governed and funded within a single system. This trend, however, originated earlier. When the legislative framework governing the technikons, the Technikon Act, was revised in 1993, technikons were granted a degree-awarding status. This move brought the two systems of education—university and technikon—closer since cross-movement between the two sectors at the post-graduate level now became a possibility. In a sense, technikons were moving closer to the university system since they could now grant degrees. At Peninsula Technikon, degree programmes were introduced in 1995. Until that point of time, Peninsula Technikon had been granting diplomas. The qualifications structure at Peninsula Technikon since 1995 has been the following: • National Diploma: requiring three years’ full-time study, with an experiential training component lasting from a few months to one year (depending on the course) built into the programme • Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.): post-diploma programmes; most are full-time and of one year duration, some are part-time and last two years. • Masters in Technology (M.Tech.): research or thesis based • Doctorate in Technology (D.Tech.): research or thesis based.

The first batch of 17 B.Tech. graduates passed out in 1996. A full listing of the courses offered during the year 1998-99 is presented in Exhibit 1.4.

A second development in the direction of bringing in a ‘university feel’, which was also dictated by the need to rationalise the structure of the institution following the decision to focus on science, engineering and technology, was the collapsing of the six schools of Peninsula Technikon into three faculties in 1997-98. Each school had many departments; there were 38 departments in all. The schools were: School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering; School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Information Technology, Mathematics and Statistics; School of Business Studies; School of Art and Design; School of Education, Secretarial Studies, languages and Communication; School of Science. The three new faculties were Business, Engineering and Science. When the reorganisation took place, no department was wound up, but all the 38 departments were

9 distributed among the three Faculties. All the nine departments in the old School of Business were transferred to the Faculty of Business, and a new department (Commercial Administration) created. In addition, one department of the old School of Education (Business Administration) was transferred to Business. The five departments which remained in the School of Education were transferred to the Faculty of Science. The 11 departments in the School of Science were transferred to the Faculty of Science, with two departments (Occupational Nursing and Community Nursing) being combined into one. The Faculty of Engineering incorporated all the 12 departments of the Schools of Architecture, Engineering and Art and Design. Thus, now there are 11 departments in the Faculty of Business, 12 in Engineering and 15 in Science.

In the place of Directors of the old schools, each faculty now has a Dean. When the Deans were appointed after the faculties were created, seniority and the record of the Directors are reported to be the criteria considered, and the Directors of the Schools of Business, Engineering and Science were appointed Deans of the Faculties of Business, Engineering and Science, respectively. At the administrative level, the Dean is assisted by Assistant Deans. Each department has a head of department, as in the old structure.

A related change in nomenclature was the redesignation of the Rector as Vice- Chancellor, and the three Vice-Rectors (Academic, Administrative, Student Affairs) as Deputy Vice-Chancellors. A Chancellor was also appointed, and Dr. Merlyn Mehl, a distinguished academic of the Western Cape Province, assumed office as the first Chancellor in February 1998.

Staff profile and the equity imperative

When Peninsula Technikon began, it had 13 professional staff members, all of them White. In 1975 two Coloured professionals were appointed, and since 1987, the expansion in staff strength has been rapid. The staff are categorised into professional staff and the non-professional staff. The professional staff include the academic personnel engaged in research and teaching, the executive and management personnel and some support staff. The non-professional staff include the technical and administrative staff, craftspersons and service staff. In 1997, Peninsula Technikon had 570 permanent staff members, 244 ‘professional staff’ and 326 ‘non-professional staff’. Out of the 244 professional staff, 185 are teaching and research staff. These 185 staff members comprise 46 senior lecturers and 139 lecturers. Though the permanent staff members number 570, Peninsula Technikon has had to draw upon part-time help also. All of this assistance (equivalent to another 363 staff members) has been for teaching and research, and for administrative duties (Exhibit 1.5).

One feature that has concerned the Peninsula Technikon’s leadership is the lack of alignment of the staff profile with the demographic profile or even the current student profile. Exhibit 1.6 presents the profile of the permanent staff as of 1997. About 80 percent of the total staff were Coloured and only 5.6 percent African. Out of the professional staff of 244, Coloured staff accounted for about 67 percent, Indian for 2 percent, Whites for about 28 percent and Africans accounted for only about 3 percent.

10 Initially, under the apartheid system, well-qualified Coloured professionals could teach in Coloured institutions like Peninsula Technikon or “lower ranked” institutions. The period after the mid-1980s saw fairly rapid growth in staff numbers, when many young Coloured professionals joined Peninsula Technikon—135 out of the 185 teaching and research staff are below 45 years of age (as of 1998). The total permanent staff strength rose from 357 in 1987 to 570 in 1997, about 60 percent increase over the ten year period. (The student enrolment, however, during the same period had increased by about 150 percent.) The turnover of staff is also reported to be low. These factors are felt to be hindering a rapid change in the current profile—at least of the professional staff—which is predominantly Coloured and White. In the post-apartheid scenario, with very rigorous official checks being maintained on appointments (primarily with a view to changing the social profile of staff in favour of Africans), the procedures for appointing staff have involved a whole range of procedural and substantive issues—transparency in the manner of appointments with elaborate provisions being made for redressal of grievances, and attracting people with the right kind of qualifications, experience and merit.

Redressing the gender imbalance has also been a concern. The proportion of male to female staff members has not changed much over the 1987-97 period—from a ratio of 70 to 30 in favour of men, to 66.5 to 33.5. There are only two women heads of department, and on the administrative side, only two out of the 24 persons at deputy registrar level or above are women.

At Peninsula Technikon, recruitment up to the level of heads of departments are delegated to selection panels. Each selection panel includes the head of department, a senior manager of Peninsula Technikon, a member of the Human Resources Development Department, a Union representative and a representative of the Equity Committee.8 In late 1996, the following policy was adopted: “Every effort will be made to advertise posts in such a way that they reach the appropriate communities, and in selecting from the list of appropriately qualified and suitable applicants preference should be given to people in the following order — African women, African men, Coloured or Indian women, Coloured or Indian men, White women, White men.” It is believed that in spite of paying attention to the equity dimension in appointments so as to be in line with official requirements, the low staff turnover has come in the way of a rapid transformation of the staff profile.

8 A few years ago, a Women’s Interest Group was formed on the initiative of a few staff members. This group evolved into a Gender Task Force, and this in turn was formalised into an Equity Committee to address equity issues involving race, gender and disability.

11 Exhibit 1.1 ‘Plea from Africa’

Give a thought to Africa! ‘neath the burning Sun There are hosts of weary hearts, waiting to be won Many lives have passed away; and in many homes There are voices crying now, to the living God.

Chorus: Tell the love of Jesus By her hills and waters

Breathe a pray’r for Africa! God the Father’s love Can reach down and bless all hearts, from His heav’n above And when lips are moved by grace they so sweetly sing Pray for peace in Africa from our loving God

Chorus

Give your love to Africa! They are brothers all Who by sin and slavery, long were held in thrall Let the white man love the black; and, when time is past In our Father’s home above all shall meet at last

Chorus

Give support to Africa! Has not British gold Been the gain of tears and blood, when the slaves were sold? Let us send the Gospel back, since for all their need Those whom Jesus Christ makes free, shall be free indeed

Chorus

J. K. Bokwe (1855-1922)

12 Exhibit 1.2 Student enrolment, 1987-1997

Year Black Coloured Indian White Not Total known M F M F M F M F M F M F Total 1987 230 86 2134 956 49 27 54 22 0 0 2467 1091 3558 1988 296 148 2373 1093 99 50 63 17 0 0 2831 1308 4139 1989 408 194 2430 1269 85 51 64 22 0 0 2987 1536 4523 1990 695 456 2326 1324 79 57 62 23 0 0 3162 1860 5022 1991 930 575 2468 1391 69 50 68 100 0 0 3535 2116 5651 1992 1081 809 2481 1461 85 49 89 91 0 0 3736 2410 6146 1993 1256 1038 2290 1345 88 45 94 88 5 6 3733 2522 6255 1994 1764 1544 2297 1326 78 26 90 75 0 0 4229 2971 7200 1995 2106 2082 2360 1482 81 36 72 77 0 0 4619 3677 8296 1996 2119 2378 2078 1386 48 22 72 84 0 0 4317 3870 8187 1997 2291 2747 2136 1416 42 19 86 85 9 12 4564 4279 8843

Notes: M = Males, F = Females

13 Exhibit 1.3 Student enrolment, by discipline, 1996

Enrolment On FTE basis Number % Agriculture 85 1.0% 0.9% Architecture 308 3.8% 2.4% Arts Visual & Performing 216 2.6% 1.4% Business, Commerce, Management 1858 22.7% 24.6% Communication 390 4.8% 2.6% Computer Science 653 8.0% 8.2% Education 330 4.0% 6.1% Engineering & Technology 1374 16.8% 10.9% Health Science, Dentistry 351 4.3% 8.0% Home Economics 74 0.9% 0.9% Industrial Arts, Trade, Technology 80 1.0% 1.5% Languages, Literature 419 5.1% 6.1% Law 385 4.7% 3.6% Life & Physical Sciences 368 4.5% 6.8% Mathematics 292 3.6% 2.5% Philosophy, religion, theology 46 0.6% 0.3% Physical Education 0 0.0% 0.0% Psychology 56 0.7% 0.6% Public Administration 380 4.6% 4.4% Economics 522 6.4% 8.3% Total 8187 100.0% 100.0%

Notes:

1 The classification in this table is the official classification used for purposes of reporting to the government. It may not strictly follow the different programmes offered by Peninsula Technikon. 2 FTE denotes Full-time Equivalent. Since the enrolment figures given above include full- time as well as part-time students, for official reporting purposes, the enrolment is converted into full-time equivalent students.

14 Exhibit 1.4 List of courses offered at Peninsula Technikon, 1998-99

FACULTY OF BUSINESS No. Course name Type Full time Part time 1 Accounting ND Y - 2 Cost and Management Accounting ND Y - 3 Cost and Management Accounting B Tech Y - 4 Internal Auditing ND Y - 5 Internal Auditing B Tech Y - 6 Management ND Y - 7 Business Administration B Tech Y - 8 Business Administration M Tech Thesis - 9 Marketing ND Y - 10 Marketing B Tech Y - 11 Marketing M Tech Thesis - 12 Retail Business Management ND Y - 13 Retail Business Management B Tech Y - 14 Public Management ND Y - 15 Public Management B Tech Y - 16 Public Management M Tech Thesis - 17 Small Business Management ND Y - 18 Human Resource Management ND Y - 19 Human Resource Management B Tech Y - 20 Commercial Administration ND Y -

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING No. Course Name Type Full time Part time 1 Electrical Engineering ND Y - 2 Electrical Engineering B Tech Y Y 3 Electrical Engineering M Tech Thesis - 4 Electrical Engineering D Tech Thesis - 5 Mechanical Engineering ND Y - 6 Mechanical Engineering B Tech Y Y 7 Mechanical Engineering M Tech Thesis - 8 Mechanical Engineering D Tech Thesis - 9 Information Technology ND Y - 10 Information Technology B Tech Y Y 11 Information Technology M Tech Thesis - 12 Architectural Technology ND Y - 13 Building Management ND Y - 14 Construction Management B Tech Y Y 15 Quantity Surveying B Tech Y - 16 Construction Management M Tech Thesis - 17 Civil Engineering ND Y - 18 Surveying ND Y - 19 Civil Engineering B Tech Y Y 20 Graphic Design ND Y - 21 Graphic Design NHD Y Y 22 Graphic Design M D Tech Y Y 23 Journalism ND Y - 24 Journalism B Tech Y -

15 25 Photography ND Y - 26 Photography B Tech Y Y 27 Fashion ND Y - 28 Clothing Management ND Y -

FACULTY OF SCIENCE No. Course Name Type Full time Part time 1 Horticulture ND Y - 2 Horticulture B Tech Y Y 3 Food Technology ND Y - 4 Food Technology B Tech Y Y 5 Dental Technology ND Y - 6 Dental Technology B Tech Y - 7 Dental Technology M Tech Thesis - 8 Dental Assisting NC One year - 9 Bio-Medical Technology ND Y - 10 Bio-Medical Technology B Tech Y Y 11 Bio-Medical Technology M Tech Thesis - 12 Radiography ND Y - 13 Radiography B Tech Y Y 14 Radiography M Tech Thesis - 15 Analytical Chemistry ND Y - 16 Analytical Chemistry B Tech Y Y 17 Chemistry M Tech Thesis - 18 Chemical Engineering ND Y - 19 Chemical Engineering B Tech Y Y 20 Chemical Engineering M Tech Thesis - 21 Environmental Health ND Y - 22 Environmental Health B Tech Y Y 23 Environmental Health M Tech Thesis - 24 Nursing B Tech Y Y 25 Technical Education NHD One year - 26 Natural Science Education ND Y - 27 Natural Science Education B Tech Y Y 28 Management of Education B Tech - Y 29 Adult Basic Education ND Y - 30 Commerce Education B Tech Y Y

Abbreviations: - Not offered B Tech Bachelor of Technology: one year (full time); two years (part time) D Tech Doctorate in Technology M D Tech Master’s Diploma in Technology M Tech Masters in Technology NC National Certificate ND National Diploma NHD National Higher Diploma Y Offered

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Exhibit 1.5 Full time and part time staff, 1997

Personnel Permanent members Part-time Professional Staff: Sub-total 244 129 Instruction & Research 185 129 Executive/Administrative/Managemen 46 0 t Specialists/ Support 13 0 Non-professional Staff: Sub-total 326 234 Technical 39 0 Non-professional Administrative 182 234 Crafts/trades 4 0 Service 101 0 Grand Total 570 363

Note: The part-time assistance figures have been derived from the full-time equivalent staffing resources of 935.108 (for 1997) worked out by Peninsula Technikon. The figures have been rounded off to whole numbers.

Exhibit 1.6 Permanent staff strength, 1997

Personnel White Indian Coloure Black Males Females Total d Professional Staff: Sub-total 68 5 163 8 181 63 244 Instruction & Research 56 5 119 5 129 56 185 Executive/Administrative/Managemen 10 0 34 2 43 3 46 t Specialists/ Support 2 0 10 1 9 4 13 Non-professional Staff: Sub-total 7 0 295 24 198 128 326 Technical 3 0 34 2 34 5 39 Non-professional Administrative 4 0 162 16 79 103 182 Crafts/trades 0 0 4 0 4 04 Service 0 0 95 6 81 20101 Grand Total 75 5 458 32 379 191 570 Professional (% by social group) 27.9% 2.0% 66.8% 3.3% Non-professional (% by social group) 2.1% 0.0% 90.5% 7.4% Total 13.2% 0.9% 80.4% 5.6%

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Acknowledgements We thank Dr. Johan Tromp, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) for extending an invitation to us to visit Peninsula Technikon and for facilitating our visit. We would also like to thank the following staff members of Peninsula Technikon for sharing their thoughts with us and for making our stay at Peninsula Technikon a pleasant experience.

Mr. Yusuf Abrahams Head, Public Affairs and Development Mr. David Bleazard Strategic Planning and Management Information Mr. Alvin Botes President, Student Representative Council Ms. Virginia Elissac Public Relations Officer Mr. Brian Figaji Vice-Chancellor Dr. Hilton Fransman Head, Educational Development Centre Dr. Dhiro Gihwala Dean, Faculty of Science Mr. Norman Jacobs Dean, Faculty of Business Ms. Shirley Levendal Cooperative Education Ms. Vuyisa Mazwi-Tanga Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs) Mr. Solomon Paulsen Faculty of Business Mr. Emmanuel Rusford Faculty of Science Mr. Mauritz Slabbert Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Mr. Rashid Small Faculty of Business Mr. Anthony Staak Dean, Faculty of Engineering Mr. Ben Turner Head, Administration Mr. Nic van Oordt Human Resources Manager

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