Transcript THE IMPACT OF MERGERS ON THE SOUTH AFRICAN HIGHER

THE IMPACT OF MERGERS ON THE SOUTH
AFRICAN
HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM
7 – 8 October 2008
CSIR ICC
Content
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Purpose
Transformation agenda
Mergers and incorporations
Process
Lessons
Perceptions
Success
What next?
Purpose
The conference was intended to offer
participants an opportunity to examine
and share their peculiar experiences with
regard to merger-related issues with an
intention to draw lessons learned for the
sector and the institutions.
Transformation Agenda
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South African Government’s transformation agenda
for higher education
White Paper 3: A programme for the transformation
of Higher Education
National Plan for Higher Education
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need to restructure the institutional landscape of the higher
education system in South Africa
key mechanisms employed for this purpose was to merge
some of the higher education institutions.
Mergers and Incorporations
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National plan identified the following priorities as key for the
achievement of the restructuring process:
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To reduce duplication and overlap in programme and service
provision;
To promote the joint development and delivery of programmes;
To enhance responsiveness to regional and national needs for
academic programmes, research and community service;
To help build academic and administrative capacity; and
To refocus and reshape the institutional culture and missions of
the institutions as South African institutions.
Business case
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Imposed by legislation
Mergers are prescribed
Lock stock and barrel
Equal partners regardless of size
Interim management structures
Short term; Medium to long term
Speed
Process
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Significant pre-planning
Inclusive in nature / general buy-in
Lack of trust
Communication gaps
Additional burden on staff and trauma
Inconvenience to students
Student and staff strikes
Governance challenges: Senate, SRCs, EMCs
Harmonization of finances
Harmonization of student fees
Harmonization of staff conditions of service
Harmonization of finances
Plans limited by financial resources (RR or Voksie)
Lessons
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Access, success, quality, equity and efficiency
Leadership key; Need to acknowledge man and women
Less or no integration
Merged institutions have not received sufficient support; e.g.
infrastructure, research funding
“One-size fits all” no longer appropriate
Type of merger does not guarantee success
HE should not be the privilege of the rich
Improving the academic profile of academics
Too early to determine efficiencies and effectiveness
Entrance requirements
Perceptions
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Mergers have failed
Universities have taken over technikons: comprehensive
universities
Potential for academic drift:
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Academic staff
Technikon programmes are phased-out or under threat
Working conditions and salaries cause for attrition
Student drop-out
Lower success rate and graduation rate
Merged institutions have not attracted established researchers
Success
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Given the size and timing: success
New institutions: college, faculty based
Incorporations
New governance structures
New human resources policies and systems
New infrastructure
Promotion policies: Professorship
New admission policies
UoTs for developing indicators appropriate for them
Elimination of programme duplication
Strengthening of teaching, research and community
engagement
What next?
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Need to improve staff morale
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Caring for staff and developing a new institutional culture
Racial issues, social cohesion, equity
Development of a plan to produce a new generation of
academics
Strengthen collaboration with government, industry and civil
society
Review of the PQM
Introduce and improve post-doctoral culture
Respond to global shifts to multi-disciplinary programmes
Next steps cont
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People: Them and us
Review cycle, monitoring
Look at non-merged institutions: What have they been up to?
Communicate with communities
public perceptions-through the media
Relaxation of centralization
Management of geographically dispersed/multiple campuses
Extent of throughput and achieving DOE targets
Intensive curricula transformation
Institutional collaboration
Definition and embedding of UoTs/comprehensives
Guidelines for funding from NRF
Thank You
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Thank You