Hester du Plessis Director, Sustainable energy Technology Testing and Research (SeTAR) Centre

1. Higher Education ConferenceThe impact of mergers on the South African Higher Education SystemTshwane University of Technology (TUT)CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria7–9 October 2009 Governance, higher education policy developmentand implementation at educational and systemic level Hester du Plessis Director, Sustainable energy Technology Testing and Research (SeTAR) Centre Head, Secretariat, EnerKey- energy for sustainability Faculty of Science Senior researcher, FADA, University of Johannesburg hesterdup@gmail.com

2. Introduction • Issue: • Merger addresses shortcomings of the past – a political process “… to redress the past inequalities and transform the HE system to serve a new social order, meet pressing national needs and respond to new realities and opportunities …” • Points to discuss: • • South African Education system is inward looking • • Lack of collaboration and integration with society and government bodies • • Overlook global incentives of HE transformation • Case to discuss: • • Lessons from the India HE transformation process

3. • Social and cultural identities are diverse, dynamic, pragmatic and flexible with ancient and rich traditions able to exist side by side with modernity. • Social and cultural diversity does not accommodate integration easily. • Transformation of the pre-modern knowledge communities (IKS) into modern knowledge collectives. • Social concern to preserve ancient skills and craft traditions. • Free conversation between cultures as well as a recovery of the cultures of politically marginalised groups in an effort to harmonize different ideologies of nationalism, secularism, rationality and cultural universalisms. India is similar and serves as example Characteristics of South African society

4. India developed a ‘scientific temper’ after Independence (1947) • • Five year cyclic governance system put into operation. • • Introduced concepts such as the promotion of a ‘scientific temper’ amongst Indian population as a philosophical driver for development. • ‘Scientific temper’ guided by a few crucial points: • • People should develop along lines of their own genius and imposing anything on them should be avoided. • • Tribal rights in land and forest should be protected. • • We should try to train and build up a team of our own people to do the work of administration and development. • • We should not over-administer these areas or overwhelm them with a multiplicity of schemes. • • We should judge results not by statistics or the amount of money spent but by the quality of human life that is involved (Pachauri, 1983:3).

5. ‘Scientific temper’: inbuilt mechanisms of survey, analysis and reflection • • Dual purpose – one of limited and contained cyclic growth periods and one of an opportunity to rectify identified problem areas. • • Overall aim to promote a mind-set amongst the population to develop a scientific understanding of natural and social phenomena. • • The process facilitated and accommodated consistency between theory and practice by promoting quantitative research to be distinguished from vague qualitative thinking. • • The population was highly illiterate and unable to access formal education – the transformation process assisted the validation of the ‘scientific temper’ to promote a certain mindset amongst the population. • • Transformation implies more than a methodical approach to knowledge systems (usually in the academic domain) by providing a national drive for understanding (of science and processes) by society and the practitioners of traditional knowledge systems.

6. India Higher Education 2008 • Current in India: • 416 universities • 251 state universities, • 24 central universities, • 103 deemed universities, • 5 institutions under state legislation and • 33 institutes of national importance.

7. Current 11th five year plan cycle in India • Aims: • • To develop the education sector in tandem with the exponential growth of the Indian economy and its drive towards greater global competitiveness. • • Consider the problems faced by higher education in India as one of lack of access, equity and quality. • • The foremost priority in Indian education is the enhancement of access to higher education for the ‘Scheduled Castes’, ‘Scheduled Tribes’ and ‘Backward Castes’. • • The assurance of growth in quality remains as the most difficult task. • • To sustain international competitiveness – a concern as India generally lacks high-quality research.

8. Development of a pragmatic new paradigmfor the India education sector • • Address not only the issue of unemployment, but the issue of unemployability. • • The India Labour Report (2007) – 53% of employed youth suffer from some degree of skill deprivation while only 8% are unemployable. • • 90% of employment opportunities require vocational skills, while a40% illiteracy rate is found amongst the working 15–60 year group • • The optimum efficiency can be reached by the Indian educational system if it is based on a ‘… strong and vibrant school education system, supported by a refined higher educational system …”(Kalam in Pande, 2008:23).

9. India priorities: greater access to HE through the expansion of institutional infrastructures • 8 new India Institutes of Technology (IIT) – as far as possible in the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode; • 7 new India Institutes of Management (IIM); • 16 new central universities and • 14 central universities supported to attain world class standards; • 370 new colleges and • 700 partnered polytechnics.

10. Education specialization • • Indira Gandhi National Tribal University being initiated in Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh to promote studies and research in tribal art, culture, tradition, language, custom, medicinal systems, forest-based economic activities and the advancement in technologies related to natural resources of the tribal areas. • • The National Education mission through Information and Communication Technology support a scheme called “National mission in education through ICT” (information communication technology). • • Three new Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER). • • Two Schools of Planning and Architecture (SPA). • • Special focus on Minority Education (through the setting up of a National Commission for Minority Education), and on developing the education provision in the North Eastern region.

11. Support for growth incentives • • Promotion of research of high quality. • • Regular updating of the curricula (every 3 years). • • Emphasis on regular progress evaluation, better national coverage of the accreditation process and reforms at institutions such as the University Grants Commission (UGC) in collaboration with:– National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC);– All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE);– Distance Education Council (DEC);– Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR);– Bar Council of India (BCI);– National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).

12. Market driven governmental policy framework boosting the higher education system • • Access to quality education – learn from best practises from abroad in management of higher education and make India an attractive destination for foreign students. • • Develop national and international accreditation bodies. • • Improve student-lecturer ratio: current 26 to 1 where the global norm is 15 to 1. • • Upgrade lecturer qualifications – 57% are without Masters or PhD qualifications despite salary increases of 45% in 2009. • • Upgrade participation in R&D research on doctoral and postdoctoral level. • • Create Research Chairs • • Inclusion and extra provision for education aimed specifically at women.

13. Market driven governmental policy framework needs • • 40 million craftspeople in India with unmet educational / social needs(master-craftsmen). • • 55% of its population under the age of 25. • • India yearly graduates 400 000 engineers and only 1000 designers – merge postgraduate courses. • • NASSCOM-McKenzie report predicts a need of over 9 million suitable graduates for the IT and Business process outsourcing sectors alone by 2010.

14. In conclusion:SA HE merger aims • • Reduce duplication and overlap in programme and service provision. • • Promote joint development and delivery programmes. • • Enhance responsiveness to regional and national needs for academic programmes, research and community service. • • Help build academic and administrative capacity. • • Refocus and reshape institutional culture and missions of HE institutions.

15. In conclusion:SA HE merger failures • • Failed to diversify enrolments in different fields of study – not responding to society needs? • • Failed to respond to global shifts towards multi-disciplinary programmes – too inward focussed? • • Failed to centralise the needs of students in development of curricula – Eurocentric dominance and lack of African studies. • • Unstable transformation – access and opportunity still too racial and gender sensitive. • • Loss of technical skills in favour of academic pursuits and pretences.

16. In conclusion:Lessons from India • • Structural and organizational expansion. • • Differentiation and shift to multi-disciplinary options (energy research as example). • • Development of an ecosystem of support and diversification. • • Partnership with government – involvement with a service network. • • Input in existing governmental policies. • • Development of international partnerships through research ‘Centre-to-Centre’ topical projects. • • Create stronger partnerships with industry. • • Develop a network for intellectual debate and knowledge sharing (knowledge cities).

17. Thank you