Breaking white silences in South African-Dutch collaboration in higher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frans Kamsteeg ◽  
Harry Wels
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
South African Society ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
South African Higher Education

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to show the complex positionality and the complexity that comes with the study of whiteness in South African higher education by Dutch, white academics. This complexity stems from the long-standing relationship between Dutch universities, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA) in particular, with their South African counterparts, which predominantly supported apartheid with reference to a shared religious (Protestant) background. Design/methodology/approach The paper rests upon a literature review of the development of South African higher education, and an assessment of the prominent role played by the Dutch Vrije Universiteit in support of the all-white, Afrikaans Potchefstroom University (presently North-West University). The authors, who are both involved in the institutional cooperation between Vrije Universiteit and South African universities, reflect on the complexity of this relationship by providing auto-ethnographic evidence from their own (religious) biography. Findings The paper reflects the ambiguous historical as well as contemporary contexts and ties that bind Vrije Universiteit to South African universities, especially formerly Afrikaans-speaking ones. The ambiguity is about the comfort of sharing an identity with formerly Afrikaans-speaking universities, on the one hand, and the discomfort of historical and political complicities in a (still) segregated South African society on the other hand. Originality/value This auto-ethnographic paper breathes an atmosphere of a “coming out” that is not very common in academic writing. It is a reflection and testimony of a lifelong immersion in VUA-South African academic research relations in which historical, institutional, and personal contexts intermingle and lead to a unique positionality leading to “breaking silences” around these complex relations.

Women in senior management positions at South African universities

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliet Ramohai
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Senior Management ◽  
Contributory Factor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
Management Positions ◽  
South African Higher Education

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present reasons for the mobility of women in senior management positions in South African higher education. Against the backdrop of women underrepresentation and retention challenges in institution of higher learning in this country, it is pertinent to share the experiences of senior women, with the aim of understanding institutional structures and cultures that make it difficult for women to survive in senior positions. Design/methodology/approach The paper used a qualitative approach. The focus of this paper was on the women who had held or were still holding senior management positions in higher education in South Africa. The requirement for this paper was that these women should have moved out or across institutions while at a senior management position. This paper drew from five women from different institutions and involved them in in-depth interviews. The women who fitted the category of senior management in this paper included deputy vice chancellor, deans and heads of departments. Findings The findings indicated that the decisions to opt out of senior management positions for the women ranged from personal to institutional. The personal reasons that emerged from this paper pointed mainly to issues of salaries. The women opted to move out of their positions for better salaries which they believed they would get in the private sectors or in other institutions. Professional development also led women to move to more promising spaces that could afford them an opportunity to grow. Apart from these personal reasons, hostile institutional cultures were cited by all women as the most serious contributory factor to their turnover. Of these, they cited patriarchal practices that led to oppression and dominance, which made it difficult for them to cope in the senior positions they held. Originality/value This paper aimed to respond to a gap in research on senior management women’s mobility in higher education, specifically in South Africa. According to Samuel and Chipunza (2013), there is a serious concern that pertains to retention of senior management within African higher education. However, most studies do not provide a focused attention on women but offer a general interpretation of senior management turnover. There seems to be lack of research that aims at understanding the contextual reasons that lead to turnover of women senior management in South African higher education. Against the backdrop of low representation of women in senior positions in specifically South African higher education and calls for equity, the study looked at the reasons why higher education institutions at times fail to retain this most sought after group (women) in these positions of power. Understanding issues around this matter has the potential to contribute towards improved practices while adding a voice to discourses around gender equity and equality.

scholarly journals Demystifying student plagiarism in academic writing: Towards an ‘educational’ solution

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hloniphani Ndebele ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Academic Integrity ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Academic Standards ◽  
Online Resources ◽  
Student Plagiarism ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
South African Higher Education

Plagiarism has become a recurrent challenge in higher education institutions, threatening the integrity of universities and their academic standards. The exacerbation of this issue can be largely linked to the escalating presence of online resources, which are easily accessible to knowledge and information communities worldwide. Many universities have thus instituted reactive measures that focus on detecting and policing plagiarism with little consideration of proactive and educational measures that can address the primary reasons for plagiarism and foster a community of academic integrity on their campuses. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to interrogate the treatment of plagiarism in universities, and provide recommendations for better educational approaches to address this issue in proactive ways that also acknowledge the complex, contextual background of the South African higher education landscape. Understanding the primary reasons students plagiarise is critical in finding educational rather than punitive solutions to address the issue.

Finnish Professors’ Experiences of Decolonisation and Internationalisation in South African Universities

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-24
Author(s):  
Ashley Simpson ◽  
Ning Chen ◽  
Fred Dervin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Complex Processes ◽  
Internationalisation Of Higher Education ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
Direct Outcome ◽  
South African Higher Education ◽  
Ambiguous Position

This paper examines the experiences of Finnish professors of education, who hold visiting positions in South African universities. As an international education utopia, Finland has developed strong Edu-business and education export around the world ‐ these visiting positions in South Africa being a direct outcome of these strategies. Using a critical form of discourse analysis, the authors scrutinize three visiting professors’ utterances about their experiences of South African higher education. During their interviews the political and economic dispositifs of internationalisation, of which their positions are symbolic, function through evoking idealised and exceptionalist representations about Finland. The participants also hint at the need for tolerance and respect towards the South African other, which reveal themselves through the reproduction of colonial discourses and images. The paper thus calls for further investigation into such forms of neo-colonialism in an African country that calls for rethinking Africanisation, decolonising of knowledge and internationalisation of higher education. It also problematises the under-researched and ambiguous position of Western scholars in these complex processes.

Steps Towards Decolonial Higher Education in Southern Africa? Epistemic Disobedience in the Humanities

2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Morreira
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
South African ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
Education Today ◽  
South African Higher Education

In South African universities, a particular epistemic hierarchy exists within which African knowledge and resources are under-valued. This paper examines humanities courses that include content that deliberately aims to interrupt the existing knowledge hierarchies, through a qualitative analysis of spaces where African knowledge is granted importance. The paper provides a snapshot of the potentials for change in South African higher education today, and of the ways in which theories of Africa, for Africa, and about Africa, are being generated and taught.

Deconstructing quality in South African higher education

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kehdinga George Fomunyam
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
South African ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
South African Higher Education

Purpose This study aims to examine six South African universities with a particular focus on the quality of teaching and learning. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study approach was adopted and data were mainly generated by means of open-ended questionnaires. The questionnaire was circulated to approximately 1,800 students and 746 completed it. The data were categorized and analysed thematically, using both national and international benchmarks for quality teaching and learning. Findings The findings reveal that teaching and learning in South African universities is marred by a plethora of challenges. Lecturers lack basic skills and essential resources to effectively facilitate teaching and learning. Furthermore, quality benchmarks set by the Council on Higher Education are only met on paper and little or nothing is done to translate this into practice. Originality/value The study proposes among others that clearer policies on funding are recommended to ensure proper allocation of resources, staff development and institutional comeliness. Finally, to enhance transformation, universities should prioritize teaching and learning and take steps to ensure that those teaching in the classroom are qualified to do so.

scholarly journals The Recent Crisis in South African Universities

2018 ◽  
pp. 23-24
Author(s):  
Jonathan Jansen ◽  
Cyrill Walters
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Education System ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
South African Higher Education

South African higher education has experienced unprecedented unrest since 2015. This article examines the causes of the crisis across various campuses and their effects on the higher education system as a whole.

scholarly journals Public pastoral care as nexus and opportunity for a transformed practical theology within decolonisation discourse in South African higher education

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vhumani Magezi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Pastoral Care ◽  
South African ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
The World ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
South African Higher Education

The discussion on decolonisation of universities that started in 2015 has been raging in different spaces within South Africa and other parts of the world. The question of the relevance of the curriculum in universities, which is a curriculum that is responsive to South African and African issues, has come to the forefront. The discipline of Theology has also been challenged to reflect on its curriculum. Given these developments, this article considers practical theology within the on-going discussion of decolonisation in South African universities. In doing so, it attempts to address the question: What are some of the issues to consider in decolonisation of practical theology in South Africa universities? Firstly, the article sketches the background to the context of the discussion. Secondly, it provides a synopsis of the discussion of decolonisation in universities. Thirdly, it highlights some colonial entanglements of practical theology evident from the current situation. Fourthly, it proposes pointers for basic steps towards decolonisation of practical theology. Fifthly, it concludes by highlighting the threats to the proposed decolonisation attempts. The article assumes a coloniality and decoloniality framework even though it is not explicitly stated.

A CUSTOMISED FRAMEWORK FOR EFFECTIVE PODCAST INTEGRATION IN A SOUTH AFRICAN HIGHER EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-32
Author(s):  
Shane Pachagadu ◽  
Liezel Nel
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
South African ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning Environment ◽  
Education Environment ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
South African Higher Education ◽  
Effective Integration

Numerous studies have explored the potential of podcast integration in teaching and learning environments. This paper first presents and organises perspectives from literature in a conceptual framework for the effective integration of podcasting in higher education. An empirical study is then discussed in which the guidelines presented in the framework were evaluated for applicability in a selected course at a South African University of Technology. Since the results of the study revealed a number of aspects not accounted for in the conceptual framework, the framework was customised to make it more applicable for the particular higher education environment. The customised framework identifies four principles and a series of related guidelines for the effective integration of podcasts in a South African higher education teaching and learning environment. This framework can become a valuable resource for effective podcast integration in similar environments.

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