ASSESSMENT OF CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE IN POST-1994 DEMOCRATIC SOUTH AFRICAN HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR

Abstract

The South African pre-1994 apartheid-era subjected higher education to political, cultural, and social inequalities and discrimination that were differentiated and diversified based on race, gender, class, ethnicity, and spatial nature. In the post-1994 period, the government has adopted co-operative governance model in the higher education sector to redress the past apartheid challenges. The main objective of this study was to assess how co-operative governance finds expression in the South African post-1994 democratic higher education to erode the apartheid legacy. The study further explored the nature, claims and expectations for democracy as reflected in higher education co-operative governance policy frameworks. Co-operative governance, with its principles of institutional autonomy, academic freedom, and public accountability, was assessed to determine how it is framed in higher education policy to achieve democracy.

The study employed mixed methods, both qualitative and quantitative, for collecting and analysing data given the research objective. Primary data was collected through online open- and closed-ended questionnaires. The purpose was to obtain information about the thoughts, perceptions, and views of participating executive leaders in the South African higher education sector about co-operative governance and how it finds expression in the post-1994 democratic dispensation. South Africa was presented as a case study to assess co-operative governance in transforming the sector in the post-1994 democratic era. To corroborate data obtained from the questionnaires, co-operative governance policy frameworks were critically analysed to understand the complete context of claims and expectations for democracy embedded in such policy frameworks.

The study found significant progress in eroding the pre-1994 apartheid legacy in the South African higher education governance. This was done by introducing and implementing co-operative governance in post-1994, aiming to achieve democracy in the higher education sector. However, the study argued that there still exist many apartheid challenges that needed to be addressed. What perpetuated the challenges was the emergence of the global neo-liberal market-oriented governance which significantly changed the role of and influenced higher education governance globally, including South Africa. The purpose was to improve the efficiency of higher education worldwide, including the quality of the services offered. This resulted in the higher education institutions (universities) being managed as business enterprises and regarded as market commodities. The situation was intensified through financial austerity coupled with more limited public budgets. The result was to focus the institutions’ governance on commercialisation and privatisation of higher education through increased competition, accountability, and quality education.

It was evident that the South African co-operative governance principles of academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and public accountability have been restricted by the global trends of market-oriented governance, which resulted in further democratic paralysis in higher education. The reality of these challenges was authenticated by the participating executive leaders who perceived that co-operative governance failed to completely eradicate the apartheid legacy because of a lack of clear strategies to guide the process of transformation and achievement of democracy in the higher education sector. It was not surprising that some universities retained apartheid discriminatory structures, traditions, and cultures in their operation and governance.

Date of Award	4 Dec 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Jurgen Enders (Supervisor) & Roger King (Supervisor)