Folklore Studies: Lynchpin for Curriculum Transformation?

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Moloko Sepota
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
African Country ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
Tertiary Institutions ◽  
Folklore Studies ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
The Status ◽  
Graduate Unemployment ◽  
South African Higher Education

Towards the end of 2015, the South African Higher Education landscape experienced a number of interesting and/or frustrating events such as the #RhodesMustFall, #FeesMustFall movements, to mention a few. It is evident that within the status quo there are a multitude of challenges in the Higher Education sector, such as low completion rates within tertiary institutions, high rates of graduate unemployment, and the inability to achieve the overarching mandate—namely, to produce the relevant workforce capable of responding to the needs of the country and the continent. This article argues for the transformation of the curriculum as an instrument to address these challenges. Transformation of the curriculum subsumes Africanisation of the curriculum to make it more responsive and relevant to our situation as an African country. The ethnographic method of research was employed. The study also revealed that valuable research was conducted on folklore over the past two decades—and the analysis thereof suggests that folklore might be the lynchpin that can successfully be used to transform our curriculum and make it more responsive to the needs of our students, the country and the continent. In conclusion, the article argues that the transformed curriculum must include African lores.

Addressing the Unemployed Graduate Challenge Through Student Entrepreneurship and Innovation in South Africa's Higher Education

2022 ◽  
pp. 161-181
Author(s):  
Ndwakhulu Stephen Tshishonga
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Business Skills ◽  
Student Entrepreneurship ◽  
Successful Student ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
Student Entrepreneurs ◽  
Graduate Unemployment ◽  
South African Higher Education ◽  
The Unemployed

This chapter addresses graduate unemployment through student entrepreneurship in the context of South African higher education. The graduate unemployment rate of South Africa is estimated at 33.5% for the youth (15-24) and 10.2% for those aged 25-34. Unemployed graduate phenomenon as depicted by the FeesMustFall campaign is exacerbated by untransformed curriculum which does not provide students with relevant skills matching the labour demands. In this regard, the chapter argues that student entrepreneurship remains one of the strategies university-based youth or students could not only a space to gain business skills and experience, but also a forum where they can put their creative ideas into income generating projects. The chapter first looks at student entrepreneurship and the challenges faced by tertiary students. Second, it explores the opportunities created through entrepreneurship, the challenges faced by student entrepreneurs, and finally, the support needed to run successful student entrepreneurship.

scholarly journals Curriculum reform as a driver for change in higher education: the case of South Africa

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Kloot
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Curriculum Reform ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
International Context ◽  
Foundation Programme ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
Change In Higher Education ◽  
South African Higher Education

A recent proposal by the Council for Higher Education (CHE) outlines a solution to the persistently low and racially skewed completion rates in South African higher education. This involves lengthening the curricula of all qualifications through the insertion of 120 credits of ‘foundational provision’. This article provides a critique of this strategy by exploring its origins and placing South African efforts at improving student access and success in the international context. It draws on the narratives of two academics, one a top research professor and the other a foundation programme lecturer, employing the theoretical lens of Pierre Bourdieu to examine higher education as a social space or field. This analysis suggests that the power structure of higher education itself is likely to constrain the effectiveness of the CHE’s proposal and ultimately fail to shift the low and racially skewed completion rates that plague South African higher education.

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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