Jansen, Jonathan

Motala, Shireen

English

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Introduction – Part ICurriculum stasis, funding and the‘decolonial turn’ in universities – inclusionand exclusion in higher education in SouthAfricaJonathan Jansen and Shireen MotalaThe crisis faced by higher education systems and institutions across the worldis urgent. The sharp and consistent decline in public funding, the pressure forrapid expansion, contests over worthwhile knowledge, concerns about socialand economic responsiveness, demands for greater accountability, andincreased competition for high quality students, are only some of its features.Against this backdrop, in 2015 and 2016, universities in South Africa faced anumber of strikes and protests which highlighted issues of institutionalculture, equitable access, black identity, racial inequality, intersectionality andcurriculum relevance. This particular conjuncture has forced us to rethinktheory, research and practice. The nature of the protests brought difficult anduncomfortable questions to the fore. Twenty years since the end of apartheid,has curriculum and knowledge production been ‘decolonised’? Have our loftydiscourses and policies on governance, institutional autonomy, academicfreedom and social justice translated into effective strategies and practices,and transformed higher education? What are the implications of the shifts inthe student movement from 2015 to 2016, from a broad and diversemovement united across race, class and gender, to highly politicisedformations which are using different sets of strategies, including directaction?Competing positions are clearly evident with regard to the meanings ofequitable access, free education, and university education for all. In fact themacro economic framework for education funding has itself come underincreasing scrutiny, as has the unresolved matter of institutionaldifferentiation. Furthermore, whether the state’s steering and accountabilitymechanisms can be reconciled with institutional autonomy and academicfreedom remains an open question. More broadly, how does the advancement2        Journal of Education, No. 68, 2017of knowledge through research, teaching and learning respond to globalchallenges without neglecting local complexities, particularly in a context ofpoverty, unemployment, disease and conflict? The purpose of this Special Issue is to deepen our understanding of thecurrent crisis in higher education through sustained and critical analyses ofthe problems of funding, knowledge and institutional change in South Africanuniversities.This Introduction is divided into two parts: Jonathan Jansen begins with anoverview of the first set of articles, providing critical discussion oncurriculum stasis, decolonisation and knowledge production. Shireen Motalafollows with an overview of the second set of articles, on funding andresourcing, and uses an equity lens to critically consider current debates on#Fees must fall.Professor Jonathan JansenCenter for Advanced Study in the Behavioral SciencesStanford UniversityUSAjj@ufs.ac.zaShireen MotalaProfessor in the Faculty of EducationSenior Director: Research and InnovationPostgraduate SchoolUniversity of Johannesburgsmotala@uj.ac.za

Introduction – Part I Curriculum stasis, funding and the ‘decolonial turn’ in universities – inclusion and exclusion in higher education in South Africa

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Introduction – Part I Curriculum stasis, funding and the ‘decolonial turn’ in universities – inclusion and exclusion in higher education in South Africa

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