Over the last two decades, with the transition from apartheid to democracy, the South African government and the country’s higher education institutions have tried to embrace what are viewed as the most significant contemporary ideas for higher education curriculum reform, those deemed most productive for meeting the challenges of globalisation and the knowledge society. Universities in the country (particularly Technology and/or Technology focused Universities) have tried to do this by addressing the Higher Education policy agenda in the following ways: preparing graduates for the world of work; applying their research skills to identifying the problems and needs of society and industry, and together finding solutions to those problems; increasing staff capacity and research productivity. Since these initiatives have demanded considerable human and financial resources, the modernization and internalization agenda at many of the universities has been neglected.
In order to respond to these challenges, THENSA (Technological Higher Education Network South Africa (previously known as the South African Technology Network), conducted a needs analysis as part of a colloquium which brought together 9 of its 12 South African University of Technology members, its international Partners and its strategic partners.
The needs analysis revealed that the institutions continue to grapple with how they can best re-shape teaching learning strategies, develop deeper and more fluid relationships with the labour market and make relevant contributions societal and economic development. These challenges were exacerbated by the COVID19 pandemic that presented new challenges. The most important recommendation emanating from discussions was that the solution for these challenges would be mutually beneficial for South African and international partner Universities to collaborate on projects related to Work Integrated Learning (WIL), Entrepreneurship of Teaching And Learning, Competence-Based Learning and Curriculum Development for the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). The participants highlighted the importance of leadership training and curriculum development which should cut across all thematic areas identified for collaboration. They further highlighted that improving linkages with industry was key to technology and human capacity development.
To take this forward, THENSA looked to the European Union (EU) cooperation frameworks for inspiration. Inspired by the EU-funded network of ‘Higher Education Reform Experts’ (HERE) in European neighbourhood countries, THENSA and its members and partner SAQA, in cooperation with additional European partners received over-whelming support from the leadership of its members to launch the Higher Education Reform Experts South Africa (HERESA).
It became abundantly clear that to THENSA that the relationships between South Africa and the EU partners that will be fostered in the HERESA project will be of high value in building sustainable capacity and generating mutual benefit. The project was designed based on the MOUs and agreements presently in place between partner countries involved as well as the EU and SA policy priorities for cooperation and development. They coincide with the vision and mission of THENSA and many of its EU partners (including those in Ireland, Italy and Spain), and reinforce the existing support received for South African – Irish cooperation in the higher education (HE) sector.
The important example of the HERE initiative in Europe is a key enabler of the project. Specifically, the HERESA project addresses two key priorities for SA under the Erasmus+ CBHE programme: ‘Government, strategic planning and management of HEI’ and ‘University-enterprise cooperation’. By appointing and training what intends to be a sustainable network of Higher Education Reform Experts, rooted in South African HEI and partnering with SAQA, the project directly addresses the former theme, under the heading of ‘Improving management of HEI’. Hence, the key areas that this joint programme with OBREAL Global is based on the following key areas:
- Strengthening governance and university leadership, particularly related to teaching and learning
- Innovative curricula development, oriented towards the 4IR, competence-based learning (CBL) and work integrated learning (WIL)
- Entrepreneurship education in collaboration with industry partners
In addition to facilitating cooperation, exchange of practice and training around these issues and advancing strategy development, the HERESA network would become an important dialogue partner with SAQA. Whilst South Africa has been acknowledged as a gateway to Africa, there have been calls from various stakeholders to strengthen the HE sectors in terms of building leadership capacity, developing mechanisms for collaboration, developing capacity in terms of designing and transforming curricula and enhancing the country’s contribution to the African and global knowledge economy.
The general objective of this joint project is to establish a network of Higher Education Reform Experts to support the governance, strategic planning and management of HEI in South Africa, so as to shape institutional and also national HE strategies for teaching and learning, in response to changing labour market and societal needs. HERESA will address the sectors shortcomings by capacitating the higher education sector in South Africa (through training and institutional mentoring) in ways that will allow staff to better achieve the goals set out in the National Development Plan aimed at internationalization and modernization of HE. These goals include inter alia, the following:
- International exchange partnerships;
- Helping universities develop a more stable funding model to facilitate modernization and internationalization;
- Developing a strategy for establishing South Africa as a hub for higher education and training in the region, capable of attracting a significant share of the international student population;
Furthermore, the White Paper for Post School Education and Training (2013) South Africa, observes that the internationalisation of HE in South Africa “has grown over the past two decades, and is a reflection of globalisation as well as of South Africa’s return to the international community” (White Paper, par 4.9).
Finally, the sustainable HERESA network that will be generated will contribute to ‘increasing the capacities of national authorities to modernise their higher education systems, by supporting the definition, implementation and monitoring of reform policies’.