| Universities South Africa | |
| Formation: | 22 July 2015 |
| Type: | Association of Universities |
| Location: | Pretoria, South Africa |
| Membership: | 26 |
| Leader Title: | Chief Executive Officer |
| Leader Name: | Dr Phethiwe Matutu |
Universities South Africa (USAf), formerly known as Higher Education South Africa (HESA), is platform that represents all 26 public universities in South Africa. USAf offers different fora for members to debate, share best practices and collaborate.[1] USAf aims to support the South African Higher Education sector by advocating for its interests, facilitating collaboration among institutions, and promoting high-quality teaching, research, and community engagement. The USAf board is made up of 26 Vice-Chancellors drawn from member universities.[2] USAf has positioned itself as "The Voice of South African Universities" and they endorse a comprehensive and equitable national higher education system that is responsive to the many challenges facing the country.
Through a mixture of lobbying, advocacy and activism,[3] USAf attempts to facilitates an optimal environment, conducive for universities to function effectually and maximally contribute to the social, cultural, and economic advancement of South Africa and its people.[4] These captains of academia were firmly committed to so-called “digital transformation” during the pandemic.[5] However, this wholesale pivot online, due to COVID-19, had a disproportionate negative effect on disadvantaged students and "exacerbated historic inequalities" among those who did have adequate access to computing resources or bandwidth / data to connect to their institutions while learning off campus. In their desire to address these negative consequences of the online pivot, USAF should be aware of techno-determinists and their "brokers’, ‘accelerators’, ‘enablers’, ‘incubators’, ‘consultants’, or ‘meta-organizations’"[6] who uncritically provide "solutions", to serve the 4IR.
USAf represents all 26 public universities and universities of technology in South Africa and is a Section 21 company. Previously known as Higher Education South Africa (HESA), this voice of universities in South Africa was constituted on 9 May 2005 as the successor to the two statutory representative organisations for universities and technikons (now universities of technology), the South African Universities Vice-Chancellors Association (SAUVCA) and the Committee of Technikon Principals (CTP).
Restructuring of the higher education sector, resulted in the establishment of new institutional types and a need for a robust and unified body of leadership was identified. Higher Education South Africa (HESA) changed its name to Universities South Africa (USAf) on 22 July 2015.[8]
The Higher Education Leadership and Management Programme (HELM) was founded in 2002.[9] HELM is one of the flagship programmes, offered by USAf. This programme offers contextual and bespoke leadership and management programmes for emerging, middle and senior managers and leaders in universities. HELM is intended for both individuals and institutions. It is used to "identify their capacitation needs within their specific contexts and align individual leadership development pathways with their organisational objectives". HELM's purpose is intended to develop effective leaders in higher education, thus contributing to student success.
The Entrepreneurial Development in Higher Education (EDHE) is the USAf's second flagship programme. The EDHE platform was setup in 2016, and is intended for entrepreneurial development across the university sector.[10] EDHE is essentially a response to graduate and youth unemployment and the diminishing resources available at universities. [11]
Transformation, however, remains a major issue that "bedevils the higher education landscape.[12] University leaders and management have been talking about "transformation" for three decades, with limited success.[13] Student's "throughput, pass and dropout rates ...remain racialised and gendered".[14] Universities transformation efforts are "agonisingly slow".[15] Clearly, higher education has to consider alternative theorisations of teaching and learning. [16] With a national unemployment rate of 32% in the first quarter of 2024.[17] There's an obvious mismatch between the labour market demands, what students are being taught, and the qualifications they receive.[18] In the absence of formal work opportunities, the imperative to drive student and graduate entrepreneurship is urgent and necessary.
Additional USAf Programme
Educational fraud, contact cheating and unethical behavior within academia is a global challenge that faces all higher education systems worldwide[24] Published research has highlighted that "a culture of corruption is rampant” in certain South African universities. Despite policies, systems or structures, [25] weakened university systems allow and enable fraudsters to access funds through corrupt means".[26] Cause for concern about graft in Higher Education was raised by a popular book entitled "Corrupted: A Study of Chronic Dysfunction in South African Universities”, by Jonathan Jansen, a former VC of the University of the Free State. The book examines the root causes of corruption in South African Higher Education,[27] and counts at least 20 interventions by the South African government into 15 of the country's 26 public universities since 1994.[28]
Coherence in the National System of Innovation (NSI) is more a policy wish than a reality. [29] A review by the Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Institutional Landscape (HESTILL), chaired by Ihron Rensburg, has also found that the NSI had avoided coordination and greater planning and coherence was necessary.[30] With systemic weaknesses affecting the academic reputation of academic and research institutions, USAf has placed a "Fraud Hotline (free call)" on their webpage.[31] USAf have also published a directory of fraud hotlines where suspected fraud can be reported to the concerned institution’s hotline. Here, the reporting policies of institutions are also mentioned. Good Governance[32] for HEIs requires modern, transparent, and accountable governance arrangements. [33]
Other attempts have been made to address corruption and fraud and there have been positive changes. These include "whistle-blowing mechanisms; anti-corruption hotlines; and ombudsman to deal with academic-related student complaints",[34] Whistleblowing has recently become a more common mechanism to report corruption, as seen under the Zondo Commission. Under law, whistleblowers should be able to make safe and protected disclosures.[35] In practice, whistleblowers often do not receive protection and many face harassment and persecution, Internal whistleblowing hotlines are common on university campus, but are also fraught with "complexity and contradiction".[36] It is reported that "anti-corruption procedures and tools deployed across the system varied widely; were not consistently applied; and were not always that effective."[37]
Policy changes within the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) have created risks and challenges for universities.[38] USAf has highlighted risks of bad debt.[39] 2023 marked a seminal point in state spending patterns. DHET allocated more money to NSFAS than universities for the first time.[40] The non-payment of NSFAS funds in 2024 have created new challenges for universities.[41] While South Africa is funding students' access to higher education through NSFAS, there hasn't been a visible improvement in stability within Higher Education and are still battling to function effectively [42]
The Council for Higher Education (CHE) has recently raised important questions about university rankings. A critical opinion,[43] has been published on the rankings industry. The piece argues that rankings are both an example of neocolonialism and neoliberalism. Certain members of USAf believe that higher education is a market, instead of a collective endeavour . Many USAf member's press releases that mention their university rankings. Despite knowing that university rankings are biased and methodologically flawed,[44] have short-term publicity gains[45] and are acknowledged as an unscientific "game",[46] this practice continues.
MP's have been advocating for an investigation into salaries of vice-chancellors and senior managers at universities since 2019.[47] The Minister of Education wrote to the Council on Higher Education (CHE) requesting that they research the matter.[48] In the CHE-led probe[49] entitled an "Inquiry into the Remuneration of University Vice-Chancellors and Senior Executive Managers in South Africa", many serious issues about governance were highlighted. According to the terms of reference, the CHE inquiry into remuneration was supposed to be completed by March 2021.[50] The final inquiry to parliament was delivered on the 21 Feb 2024, three years later than promised.[51] Ongoing salary increases in higher education have been compared to a runaway train.[52] Among many issues raised, poor institutional governance and management and lax financial practices were highlighted.[53] This salary disparity has been dragging on for almost a decade.[54] USAf has stated its support for the inquiry and intends to regain the public's trust in its financial management.[55] However, until substantive issues are addressed directly, history has shown that these self-serving patterns in universities will, in all probability, linger.[56] The DHET has also committed itself to establishing an ombuds system,[57] to resolve ongoing issues within tertiary education.
Under the Freedom Charter, "the doors to learning and culture” were supposed to be opened. Higher Education should serve the public good, contribute to the commons re-imagine a new society and level the playing field and reduce and differential graduation rates based on race, gender, class and other critical variables. [58] USAf has committed itself to offering “an optimal environment conducive for universities to function effectively”. In their strategic plans, they have also realized that they cannot achieve this by themselves and are looking for appropriate alliances and strategic and operational partners.[59]
While alliances and partnerships may "provide keys to unlocking otherwise seemingly impossible problems and challenges".[60] Outsourcing or privatization can lead to enclosure and reenforces digital capitalism’s hegemony.[61] This has a variety of unintended effects and can limit both institutions and students[62] Academic integrity has to be institutionalized.[63] Institutional governance[64] must be strengthened with policies and reporting systems.[65] University optimization should also extend into matters of transparency around remuneration, and a commitment to addressing the scourge of corruption in their respective university chambers.
At present, certain institutions whistle-blowing policies are either not in place, out of date, or not shared by USAf.[66] Good governance requires that leaders are accountable about their activities and not cover up their failures[67] HESA / USAf have published their annual reports from 2010 up until 2022.[68] Leadership in higher education is fraught. In the context of “disruption, complexity, change, and in the global pursuit of the Engaged University”, VCs with integrity have to be proactive, transparent, reach out and listen,[69] instead of silencing its critical voices[70]