Solidarity submits comments against harmful proposed Higher Education Policy
7 September 2022
Solidarity today submitted its comments on the Department of Higher Education and Training’s proposed policy, which threatens private institutions’ rights to exist. This follows the department’s announcement of problematic amendments to the Higher Education Policy earlier this year.
According to Solidarity, this proposed policy poses a particular threat to private institutions. This proposed policy is of such a nature that it wants to place private institutions in the trusteeship of so-called fully-fledged universities, that will result in these institutions having to downgrade themselves from university status to university college status.
“It is unfair of the government to force private institutions to give up their status as university when they meet the requirements as stipulated. These proposed downgrades will have a direct impact on the credibility of those institutions’ academic functioning. Prestige and status in the academic sector are important and contributes to any institutions’ continued existence – something that should not be threatened by nonsensical changes to legislation. This not only hinders the careers of lectors and other employees in the sector, but also hinders the development of skills and access to higher education,” said Johan Botha, Deputy General Secretary of Solidarity.
Solidarity further believes that it is unfair to place private institutions under a trusteeship and that it threatens such institutions’ right to exist. According to Solidarity, communities should rather be encouraged to find workable solutions for problems, such as education, and he believes that an incompetent state’s interference herein will result in deterioration rather than progression.
“The state is once again appropriating power to itself that does not belong to it. By imposing a trusteeship, it is attempting to control private institutions and to roll out its ideology. This government is in fact hampering communities’ rights to find solutions while it should take responsibility for the education and training of the youth,” continued Botha.
“Solidarity’s comments are aimed at preventing the centralisation of the higher education sector and the bureaucratisation of the system. We will not sit back and look on as the government impoverishes the South African higher education with its obsession with power,” concluded Botha.
Issued by Johan Botha, Deputy General Secretary: Professional, 7 September 2022
