Mergers in South African Higher Education: Realization of Policy Intentions?

MERGERS IN SOUTH AFRICAN HIGHER EDUCATION: REALIZATION OF POLICY INTENTIONS? by MZAMANE CONVY BALOYI submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR G NAIDOO CO-SUPERVISOR: DR P KHUMALO SEPTEMBER 2015 DEDICATION To God be the Glory (Psalm 19 verse 1). I humbly dedicate this academic exegesis to three special persons: to my wife, Emily, who has divinely, endlessly, selflessly and dynamically HELPED me to focus on education throughout this postgraduate study journey (Genesis 2 verse 18), to my mother, Yimisa for ensuring that I go to school despite the socio-economic hindrances which were at odds during my primary and high school learning seasons (Ephesians 6 verse 2), and to my uncle, Mr Falaza Wison Mdaka who became my childhood mentor and provided me with the much-needed guidance towards a liberating future (1 Corinthians 4 verse 15). Their gallant efforts were not in vain. i DECLARATION I declare that MERGERS IN SOUTH AFRICAN HIGHER EDUCATION: REALIZATION OF POLICY INTENTIONS? is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. I further declare that I have not previously submitted this work, or part of it, for examination at Unisa for another qualification or at any other higher education institution. Signed: ______________________ Date: ____________________ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Professor Goonasagree Naidoo has been an outstanding supervisor. Her counsel, guidance and constructive criticism made an invaluable input to this study. This vessel is an intellectual asset and a humble contributor to knowledge generation. Keep it up Professor Naidoo! Dr Prudence Khumalo has been a dynamic and calm as well as level-headed co-supervisor. He took over the role of co-supervision at a time when I needed that support the most. What a marvel working with you in this regard sir. Dr Themba Mkhonto for his professional editorial services of the thesis, I was able to graduate from ‘writing as I liked’ to writing as an academic as a result of the robust editorial intervention of this humble intellectual. All my respondents at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) were outstanding and great in their selfless patience and frankness in sharing their respective experiences on mergers. Members of my family, Musa, Nkateko, Manana, Mano, Mbhuri and Malwandla led by their mother, Emily as well as the moral contribution of my son-in-law, Mahla and my granddaughter, Nsuku. This team has been an invaluable inspiration for me to press on. To God Almighty and His Son, Jesus Christ, who is my personal Lord and Saviour for the grace to learn, mercy to endure the stress associated with research and for the strength to stay focused despite the odds. iii SUMMARY This thesis examined the 2004 SA higher education merger processes in order to determine the extent to which these mergers have achieved in the context of the broader transformation goals of the post-1994 government’s policy objectives. Mergers have become part of the South African higher education landscape and system since their implementation in 2004. The merger process induced the reduction of higher education institutions from 36 to 23 (at least until 2012 at the time of writing this report). The merger implementation process itself was not voluntary. Some South African universities did not just willingly opt for the transformation process. It took the government a range of strategies, elaborate consultations and ‘carrot and stick’ approaches to convince some of the targeted institutions. The merger was not only limited to physical reconfiguration, but also to the systemic aspects motivated by the need to open the doors of learning and culture to all South Africans without barriers of ethnicity, race and other forms of discrimination. The ‘ivory tower’ universities had to be reigned into the national transformation project as well. Curriculum which was mainly crafted from an epistemological-ideological premise of the supremacy of Afrikaans as a language of the government of the day and the employer of choice had to be reviewed. Admission criteria, advanced access restrictions to the majority of black students to urban and more advanced universities, also warranted scrutiny. iv KEYWORDS Mergers; Policy Implementation; Voluntary Merger; Involuntary Merger; Transformation; Accountability; Sustainability; Diversity; Student Access; Student Mobility. v ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ANC African National Congress APC Areas of Programme Correspondence AUT Universities & Technikons Advisory Council CATE Colleges of Advanced Technical Education CFO Chief Financial Officer CHE Council on Higher Education CTP Committee of Technikon Principals DoE Department of Education DUT Durban University of Technology DVC Deputy Vice Chancellor EE Employment Equity EWP3 Education White Paper 3 FETIs Further Education and Training Institution GCE Gauteng College of Education HAIs Historically Advantaged Institutions HAMUs Historically Afrikaans Medium Universities HBIs Historically Black Institutions HBTs Historically Black Technikons HBUs Historically Black Universities HDIs/HDIS Historically Disadvantaged Institutions HEIs/HEIS Higher Education Institutions HEMUs Historically English Medium Universities HEQC Higher Education Qualifications Committe HEQF Higher Education Qualifications Framework HESA Higher Education South Africa HRD Human Resources Development HWAUs Historically White Afrikaans Universities HWEUs Historically White English Universities HWIs Historically White Institutions vi HWTs Historically White Technikons HWUs Historically White Universities ICT Information and Communication Technology IF Institutional Forum IOP Institutional Operating Plan JTC Johannesburg Teachers’ College MEDUNSA Medical University of South Africa NCHE National Council on Higher Education NEHAWU National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union NMMU Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University NNP New National Party NP Nationalist Party NQF National Qualifications Framework NUTESA National Union of Tertiary Education in South Africa NWG National Working Group PAIs Previously Advantaged Institutions PAWIs Previously Advantaged White Institutions PDIs Previously Disadvantaged Institutions PQM Programme Qualification Mix QPC Quality Promotion Committee RAU Rand Afrikaanse Universiteit RDP Reconstruction and Development Programme RSA Republic of South Africa SAC South African College SACTE South African College for Teacher Education SAPSE South African Post-Secondary Education SAQA South African Qualification Authority SAUVCA South African Universities’ Vice-Chancellors Association SET Science, Engineering & Technology TBVC Transkei, Bophutatswana, Venda, Ciskei Tech Technikon vii TEFSA Tertiary Education Fund of South Africa TNG Technikon Northern Gauteng TNG Technikon Northern Gauteng TNW Technikon North West TNW Technikon North West TUT Tshwane University of Technology UCGH University of Cape of Good Hope UJ University of Johannesburg UK United Kingdom UKZN University of Kwa-Zulu Natal UNISA University of South Africa UNIVEN University of Venda UOFS University of the Orange Free State UP University of Pretoria UPE University of Port Elizabeth USA United States of America VC Vice Chancellor VUDEC Vista University Distance Education Campus Wits Tech Technikon Witwatersrand viii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY………………………………………..1 1.1 INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................1 1.2 BACKGROUND/CONTEXT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM...............................2 1.3 STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM.......................................................5 1.4 THE RESEARCH AIM/PURPOSE, RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS...........................................................................................9 1.4.1 The Research Aim/Purpose..........................................................................................10 1.4.2 The Research Objectives..............................................................................................10 1.4.3 The Research Questions.…......……………………………………...…………….…11 1.5 JUSTIFICATION/SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY...............................................11 1.5.1 Discipline-related Significance.………………………………………..………….…12 1.5.2 Institution-related Significance.....……………………........……………….…..……13 1.5.3 Practical Socio-political/economic Significance…….………………………….....…17 1.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY…......…………………….………………...…….20 1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY…………………………………………………..…..........21 1.8 ETHICS COMPLIANCE.............................................................................................21 1.9 ORGANISATION OF CHAPTERS……………….…………………………..…….22 1.10 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................23 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………….....24 2.1 INTRODUCTION...………………………………………………..………………...24 2.2 AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE OF HIGHER EDUCATION MERGERS...................................................................................................................24 2.2.1 Some Lessons from the International Merger Perspectives…….....…………………27 2.3 THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT OF HIGHER EDUCATION MERGERS …..............................................................................………….……...…28 2.3.1 The Pre-merger Context

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