Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Higher Education in the BRICS Countries pp 171–190Cite as

Supply and Demand in South Africa

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Higher Education Dynamics ((HEDY,volume 44))

Abstract

The advent of democracy in 1994 and the promulgation of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa signaled the end of restricted access to higher education on legal grounds. The African National Congress (ANC) then issued a comprehensive policy framework for education and training. This framework addresses the enormity of the apartheid legacy of education and provides a coherent policy statement albeit with contradictory tensions in terms of some of the proposed goals. Most notably, it advocated the pursuit of equity and access as being of paramount importance, and signaled quite clearly that the adverse effects of apartheid in the realm of education need to be addressed. The analysis undertaken in this chapter demonstrates that the enormity of the task at hand, the resources required to redress past inequities, and the deeply entrenched nature of the racially-divided educational system were grossly underestimated by the architects of the new policy framework (and vision) for the sector, including the critically important higher education subsector.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The Gini coefficient or index measures inequality, e.g., in the distribution of wealth. A coefficient of one indicates ‘perfect inequality’ –i.e. all wealth is owned by one person in a country, while a coefficient of 0 reflects perfectly equal distribution. All countries are between 0 and 1.

  2. 2.

    Sen (1999) argues that the process of development should remove ‘unfreedoms’ like political freedoms, economic facilities, social opportunities, transparency guarantees and protective security. This would then require a broadening of our view of development going beyond income per capita and GDP growth.

References

  • ANC (1994). A policy framework for education and training. http://anc.org.za/show.php?id=263 Accessed 26 Nov. 2012.

  • ANC Today. Approaches to Poverty Eradication and Economic Development VII. Volume 4, Number 47. 26 November to 2 December 2004.Badat, S. (2010). The challenges of trasnformation in higher education and trainining instituions in South Africa. Johannesburg: Development Bank of Southern Africa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Badat, S., Barron, F., Fisher, G., Pillay, P., & Wolpe, H. (1994). Differentiation and disadvantage: The historically black universities in South Africa, a report to the Desmond Tutu Trust, Belville. Education policy unit, University of the Western Cape.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnes, T. (2006). Changing discourses and meanings of redress in south african higher education, 1994–2001. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 41(1–2), 149–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhorat, H.I. & Cassim, R. (2004). The challenge of growth, employment and poverty in the south african economy since democracy: An exploratory review of selected issues. Development Southern Africa, 21(1), 7–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bunting, I. (1994). A legacy of inequality: Higher education in South Africa. Cape Town: UCT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bunting, I. (2002). ‘Funding’ in transformation in higher education: global pressures and local realities in South Africa. Pretoria: Centre for Higher Education Transformation in South Africa (CHET).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, D. & Subotzky, G. (2001). The skewed revolution: Trends in South African higher education 1988–1998. Cape Town: CSHE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Council on Higher Education (CHE). (2000). Towards a new higher education landscape: Meeting the equity, quality and social development imperatives of South Africa in the 21st century. Pretoria: Council on Higher Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Council on Higher Education (CHE). (2001). The State of Higher Education in South Africa: 2000-2001 Annual Report. Pretoria: CHE.Council on Higher Education (CHE). (2007). Higher Education Monitor 6: A Case for Improving Teaching and Learning in South African Higher Education. Retrieved October 10, 2011 from http://che.ac.za/media_and_publications/higher-education-monitor/higher-education-monitor-6-case-improving-teachingCouncil on Higher Education (CHE). (2004). South African higher education in the first decade of democracy. Pretoria: Council on Higher Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Council on Higher Education (CHE). (2009). Higher Education Monitor 8: The State of Higher Education Report. Retrieved October 10, 2011 from http://www.che.ac.za/sites/default/files/publications/Higher_Education_Monitor_8.pdf

  • Council on Higher Education (CHE). (2010). Higher Education Monitor 9: Access and Throughput in South African Higher Education: Three case studies, Pretoria.Department of Education. (1997). Education white paper 3: A programme for the transformation of higher education. (Government Gazette No. 18207). Pretoria: Government Printers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). (2010). Report of the Ministerial Committee on the Review of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme. Retrieved November 15, 2010 from http://www.education.gov.zaDepartment of Education (DoE). (2009). Trends in Education Macro Indicators Report South Africa. Retrieved January 10, 2011 from http://www.education.gov.za/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=kKd2AHtjxYo%3D&tabid=358&mid=1261Docampo, D. (2007). International comparisons in higher education funding. Higher Education in Europe, 32(4), 369–386.Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). (2012). Green Paper for Post-School Education and Training. Pretoria: DHET.

  • Fiske, E. B., & Ladd, H. F. (2005). Elusive Equity: Education Reform in Post-Apartheid. South Africa: HSRC.HEMIS. (2012). Higher education management system (DHET), department of higher education and training. Ministry of education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Higher Education Monitor. (2009). The state of higher education in South Africa, No 8. Pretoria: Council on higher education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jansen, J. (2001). Rethinking education policy making in south africa: Symbls of change, signals of conflict. In A. Kraak & M. Young (Eds.), Education in retrospect: Policy and implementation since 1990. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jansen, J.D. (Ed.) (2002). Mergers in Higher Education: Lessons Learned in Transitional Contexts. Pretoria: UNISA Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kraak, A. & Young, M (Eds.). (2001). Education in retrospect: Policy and implementation since 1990. London: HSRC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Menon, K. (2014) Exclusion and Access in Higher Education Policies’ in South Africa. PhD dissertation, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education. (2001). National plan for higher education in South Africa. Pretoria: Ministry of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrow, W. (1993). Epistemological access in the university. AD Issues, 1(1): 3–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE). (1996). An overview of a new policy framework for higher education transformation. Pretoria: National Commission on Higher Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pillay, P. (2006). Human resource development and growth: improving access to and equity in the provision of education and health services in South Africa. Development Southern Africa, Taylor and Francis Journals, 23(1), 63–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reddy, T. (2004). Higher education and social transformation: South Africa case study. Pretoria: Council on Higher Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Republic of South Africa. (1996). Constitution of the Republic of South.(National Gazette No. 17678, Notice No. 108 with amendments). Pretoria Government Printers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharp, L. (2011).Trickery in employment figures. Mail and Guardian, 28 January. Retrieved May 15, 2012 from http://mg.co.za/article/2011-01-28-trickery-in-employment-figuresSen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. Oxford University Press.Stumpf, R. (2010). Higher Education Sub-Sector Analysis. Unpublished paper. Pretoria: World Bank.

  • Subotzky, G. (2003). Public higher education. In Human Sciences Research Council (Ed.) Human resources development review 2003: Education, employment and skills in South Africa, 352–379. CapeTown: HSRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolpe, H. (1991). Education and social transformation: Problems and dilemmas. In E. Unterhalter, H. Wolpe, & T. Botha (Eds.), (1992). Education in a Future South Africa. New Jersey: Africa World.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Braamfontein, 2000, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Kirti Menon

Authors
  1. Kirti Menon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kirti Menon .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Studies on Labor & Society, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Simon Schwartzman

  2. Faculty of Education, University of Oslo, Kristiansand S., Norway

    Rómulo Pinheiro

  3. University of Witwatersrand Grad. School of Public & Development, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Pundy Pillay

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Menon, K. (2015). Supply and Demand in South Africa. In: Schwartzman, S., Pinheiro, R., Pillay, P. (eds) Higher Education in the BRICS Countries. Higher Education Dynamics, vol 44. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9570-8_9

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation