Student culture in black South African universities : some factors contributing to student activism, 1960-1980.

EducationDoctor of Education (EdD

Does ABET contribute to OHS in mining?

South African mines have an unacceptable occupational health and safety (OHS) record. Of particular concern are the categories of workers who are most vulnerable to accidents and disease and who generally have the least formal education or training, those termed elementary workers (unskilled) and machinery operators and drivers (semi-skilled). This article questions the role of adult basic education and training (ABET) as a primary driver of mine OHS, with specific reference to these categories of workers. The article concludes that ABET has positive and generalised effects in the workplace, that may include OHS awareness, but that the scale of ABET impact on mine OHS is negligible. Additional and alternative OHS training initiatives are required to provide the least educated workers with comprehensive preparation and training for the hazards and risks of underground mining.http://www.occhealth.co.zagv201

Leading from the front : exploring the professional and personal nature of research leadership

Research is a key indicator of university performance and research leadership is a critical variable in achieving research excellence. This qualitative research study examined the ‘research stories’ of ten research performing academics and the reported research and mentoring experiences of a sample of 30 of their postgraduate mentees to gain a more nuanced understanding of the nature of research leadership, with special attention to how this influences research performance. The unit of analysis was leadership at the disciplinary level within South African higher education. This article discusses one of the salient features common to the research trajectories in this study, namely, leadership by example of personal scholarship. Academic role models, who are themselves performing scientists and scholars, are essential in influencing the intellectual development of the next generation of researchers.http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=20128am2013gv201

School desegregation trends in Gauteng Province

This study utilized 2003 to 2006 school enrollment data from the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) to examine school desegregation trends and interracial exposure among learners from different race groups. Descriptive analyses revealed findings consistent with the literature wherein a majority of schools served mainly homogeneous populations. African and White learners experienced limited or no opportunity for interracial contact at school level, whereas Coloured learners experienced moderate levels of interracial contact. The exception was the Indian learner group whose migration from schools formerly reserved for Indian learners into schools formerly reserved for White learners as well as independent schools contributed to increased diversity albeit in a relatively small group of schools. New schools are emerging as a preferred destination for African learners.http://www.informaworld.com/RAERgv201

Access and quality in South African higher education : the twin challenges of transformation

Higher Education transformation in South Africa requires a synergy of creative strategies to engage issues of redress. Access to higher education remains one mechanism for achieving this in South African higher education. While there is clearly a need to enable access by improving student success (access with success), as opposed to simply ensuring their participation (access as participation), the adequacy of these initiatives needs to be evaluated in the context of institutional transformation. By introducing a quality assurance framework, institutions can ensure that access initiatives are institutionalised. Conceptions of access, however, need to be situated within appropriate definitions of quality. This would enable institutions to track the responsiveness of measures to achieve national transformational objectives. It is argued that current Academic Development (AD) initiatives as a means of achieving `access with success' can only deal marginally with the transformation agenda in South Africa. It is proposed that a comprehensive quality assurance framework with embedded commitment to access is likely to respond appropriately to national development prerogatives of higher education access

Common origins, common futures : reflections on identity and difference in education

The history of human evolution is fascinating and complex indeed. Modern science as revealed by the disciplines of archaeology, palaeontology, and genetics presents strong evidence about the common origins of humankind. Dispersal from the birthplace over millennia has produced a mosaic of identities that are cultural artefacts or social constructs and determined more by psychology, sociology and ideology than by biology. The environmentally induced differences that largely shape identity have often been the source of conflict and wars. The questions asked are: are conflicts and wars natural and immutable human dispositions? And, how can the negative aspects of identity and difference be managed in such a manner that the proclivity towards conflicts and self-annihilation is minimised or undermined through the education process? The articles in this volume grapple with the issues of commonality, difference and identity from different perspectives and situational circumstances using the education domain as an instance of reflection and action. Through the learning process, a healthy understanding of identity that is not parochial or chauvinistic, and tolerance of difference can be achieved. Healthy learning environments can play an important role in promoting a better, sophisticated understanding of human nature and that difference in whatever form it is manifested is a matter of social convenience – not fundamental

Widening equity and retaining efficiency : considerations from the IBSA southern coalface

Access to higher education is a key challenge of the 21st century state. The link between higher education and personal and socio-economic development has intensified the need for ensuring that greater numbers of citizens have expanded access to and have been provided with quality higher education. The article seeks to explore how initiatives for increased access to higher education are experienced in India, Brazil and South Africa. As signatories to the IBSA declaration in the spirit of South–South cooperation, the three countries have publicly declared their commitment to enhance equity by, for example, widening access to higher education. We review the way in which the three countries have implemented key equity initiatives and draw lessons from their practice. Notions of ‘effectiveness’ and ‘efficiency’ are used to understand the extent to which each of the individual systems is responsive to the equity agenda. We find that while there have been notable attempts to implement the equity agenda in the quest for making their systems more ‘socially effective’. This is countervailed by a more pervasive‘ efficiency’ doctrine, underpinned by a market-driven economic paradigm. It is concluded that the innovative practices in each of the countries suggest important strides in the equity agenda but also that much still remains to be done. While the article represents a starting point for the much-vaunted South-South collaboration, tentative findings suggest that a more deliberately articulated policy framework characterized by greater inclusion of those previously excluded is necessary in each of the countries if significant and sustainable development is to be achieved

Between a rock and a hard place : understanding the balance between access and efficiency in South African higher education

We argue a case for a ‘revisioning’ of the education policy-implementation nexus in the South African higher education sector. It is proposed that the well-meaning idealism expressed in policy pronouncements is necessarily subject to a host of mediations, national and international, which have a mutative effect on the original intent.This understanding of policy, as ‘policy pragmatism’, is used to understand the discourse in current South African higher education, which although very ‘efficiency’ driven, retains considerable access elements.The article describes how the initial policy intention of ‘unfettered’ access transmutes to a pragmatic, cautious and guided right of entry.Thus, while initial policy propositions are contained in policy, they are not as overtly discernible as would be anticipated

Sustaining peace through school and civil society : mortar, bricks and human agency

South Africa has been a high-conflict society for nearly 350 years. The first 300 years were characterised by colonial rule with all the attendant conflicts inherent in such polities where dominance over the subjects was achieved by coercive means. This was followed by a more virulent form of racial domination, called apartheid, which characterised the 50 years before the achievement of democracy in 1994. Thus, a legacy of racial inequality is deeply embedded in the institutional structures and psyche of South African society. The principal underlying assumption of this article is that schools are an indispensable part of a consortium of societal agencies that can help bridge the divisions created by apartheid in a systematic and systemic way. The argument is that the critical elements in South Africa that are responsible, thus far, for maintaining relative stability and offer the potential for sustaining human rights, democracy, social cohesion, and therefore, peace are: a progressive constitution; Chapter 9 institutions; derivative educational legislative and policy instruments; an active civil society and human agency informed by a democratic tradition that was bred and nurtured during the anti-apartheid struggle. These vital ingredients constitute the organic mosaic that can further advance peace and stability in the post-conflict South African society

Rural-based universities in South Africa: albatrosses or potential nodes for sustainable development?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on how two rural-based universities in South Africa can contribute towards sustainable development especially in their immediate rural communities. It addresses the following questions: what conditions or policy frameworks exist that can engender a sustainable development trajectory? How can rural-based universities reconstitute themselves so they can become effective agents for sustainable rural development? Historically, because of apartheid policies, these and other black universities were on the margins of the knowledge production process and have not effectively engaged in real development activities that would meaningfully improve the livelihoods of rural dwellers. The research identified policy and legislative instruments and strategies that can promote a dynamic interaction with other institutions thus empowering and promoting sustainability. The aim of the paper is to raise awareness about existing possibilities at the disposal of these institutions. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is the outcome of two research initiatives: one was a doctoral study by one of the authors, and the other was a study conducted at both universities. Both studies involved extensive interviews with a wide spectrum of stakeholders (local and provincial authorities, members of the business and university communities). Both also involved document analyses. Findings – That rural-based universities are advantageously situated and possess a variety of characteristics that can enable them to effectively contribute to sustainable development. These include their strategic location within the rural communities; reinventing their mission orientation so as to enhance their research capacity; expanding their intellectual/entrepreneurial/social capital; and the establishment of strong collaborative relationships