Update on the Restructured Higher Education Landscape

1. Update on the Restructured Higher Education Landscape Presentation to the Portforlio Committee on Education National Assembly 20 February 2007

2. Restructuring the HE Landscape • November 2002 – Cabinet approves proposals to restructure the HE landscape • December 2002 – Minister informs Councils of affected institutions and provides opportunity for comments • October 2003 – Minister announces name of new institution, its address and date of implemenation and membership of interim Council • November 2003 – Formal gazetting of mergers and incorporations • Mergers effected in 2004 and 2005 with pre and post merger support to designated institutions • Reports to Portfolio Committee in May and September 2006

3. Restructured HE Landscape Restructuring in 2004 • University of KwaZulu-Natal • North West University • Tshwane University of Technology • University of South Africa Restructuring in 2005 • Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University • Cape Penninsula University of Technology • The University of Limpopo • The University of Johannesburg • The Walter Sisulu University for Science and Technology, EC Restructuring in 2006 • The National Institute for HE in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape were established.

4. Restructured HE Landscape • Campuses of the former Vista University were incorporated into the University of Pretoria, the University of the Free State, the University of Johannesburg, the Nelson Madela Metropolitan University and the Central University of Technology • Univ of Fort Hare – incorporated the East London campus of Rhodes University and the University of the Western Cape – incorporated the Dentistry faculty of the University of Stellenbosch • 11 Universities; 6 Universities of Technology which offer mainly career and vocationally-focused programmes; and 6 Comprehensive Institutions, which will offer both university and technikon-type programmes.

5. Support to Merged Institutions • A Merger Unit has been established in the Department. This Unit is closely monitoring the merger process, as well as providing technical support, guidance and assistance to institutions. • The Government has allocated R3,018 billion for the restructuring process, to be disbursed over a period of six years (2003 – 2008). • The financial support covers three distinct areas, (i) re-capitalisation of institutions that are under-capitalised. This is for all higher education institutions that qualify; (ii) reimbursement of direct merger-related expenditure; and (iii) to meet costs associated with any restructuring of personnel that may be considered necessary to meet the operational requirements of the new entity. • In consultation with National Treasury, strict criteria have been developed to inform the allocation of resources to institutions.

6. Financial Support to Merged Institutions • Major financial support has been provided for direct merger costs and for re-capitalisation of institutions, subject to approval of Institutional Operating Plans • Re-capitalisation payments and commitments to date totaling R625 million have been allocated to the University of Fort Hare (R100m), University of the Western Cape (R170m), the Durban Institute of Technology (R162m) and University of Free State (R23m), the Tshwane University of Technology (R87), the University of Zululand (R46m) and the University of Venda (R27m) • The University of Limpopo, the Walter Sisulu University and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University are also due for re-capitalisation • Re-capitalisation support has enabled the institutions to stabilise their finances and to begin addressing areas that have been neglected owing to financial constraints.

7. Investement in infrastructure at merged institutions • University of KwaZulu-Natal - R150 million for improving and relocating teaching and leaning facilities, primarily on the Westville campus. • University of Fort Hare - R30 million for deferred maintenance, including student residences • University of South Africa – R100 million for improving teaching and leaning facilities through strengthening teaching and leaning centres • University of Zululand - R25 million for improving teaching and leaning facilities, including deferred maintenance for student residences • Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University – R1.5 million for improving teaching and leaning facilities, by upgrading the chemistry laboratories at the former Vista campus.

8. Investement in infrastructure at merged institutions • North West University - R47 million for improving teaching and leaning facilities, including deferred maintenance for student residences at the Vaal Triangle and Mafikeng campuses. • University of the Western Cape - R3.8 million for teaching and learning facilities in clinical health sciences. • Tshwane University of Technology – R36 million for for deferred maintenance, including student residences • Cape Peninsula University - R 18 million for harmonization of teaching and learning facilities. • University of Venda - R 132 million for improving teaching and leaning facilities, including deferred maintenance for student residences and ICT facilities.

9. Governance and Management • All merged institutions have substantive Councils and substantive Vice Chancellors. • The appointment of the substantive management has given rise debates about the internal or external advertising of these positions. Institutions have approached this matter differently with due regard to the imperatives for transformation, especially race and gender equity, fairness and the prescripts of the Labour Relations Act. • Walter Sisulu University and the University of Limpopo are still to appoint substantive managements as the Vice Chancellors have only recently been appointed. • Institutions established in 2005 are finalising their institutional statutes. • The Boards of the National Institutes in Mpumalanga and Northern Cape have been constituted and are operational. NIHE in Mpumalanga has advertised for a CEO and a CFO.

10. Student Govenance • All merged institutions have institutional SRCs. • Initial conflict between SRCs of constituent member institutions, leading to a prolonged phase of interim structures. • Institutions have developed with the assistance of the Department student governance models that are appropriate to multi-campus institutions. In this regard, there is often an Institutional SRC and campus based SRCs. • The Department of Education is also developing guidelines for SRC constitutions to assist institutions and currently working with institutions on SRC inductions at the start of the academic year.

11. Academic Intergration • All institutions in the interim to retained the status quo with respect to academic programme offerings pending the finalization of long term plans on the academic profile, including academic structures for the new institution. • The interim policy is to ensure a measure of continuity in programme offerings for pipeline students. • All multi-campus institutions intend to review and possibly consolidate faculties across delivery sites. The University of KwaZulu Natal, Tshwane University of Technology, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and the University of Johannesburg are the most advanced in this regard. • The Department and the Higher Education Quality Committee of the Council on Higher Education continue to provide institutions with support in the development of a new academic organizational and programme structure. • The establishment of comprehensive institutions, the UNISA, NMMU, UJ, WSU, UZ, and UV should enhance the articulation and mobility students within the system. The Minister has also developed a unitary qualifications policy, the Higher Education Qualification Framework.

12. Restructuring the HE Landscape • A New Institutional Landscape for Higher Education comprises of twenty-one higher education institutions (11 Universities, 6 Technikons and 4 Comprehensive Universities) and two National Institutes for Higher Education. • Restructuring and consolidation of the institutional landscape will in part, lay the foundation for the transformation and reconstruction of the higher education system. • Good progress being made towards realising strategic objectives of the restructuring process • New institutional identities • Transcting the divisions of the past • Focus on the provision of quality education • Enhancing good practice in educational and management practice