Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Quality assurance has become a prominent and permanent feature of Higher Education in
many countries, and South Africa has been no exception in this regard. The pressing need for
social and economic development and the competition for scarce resources has spearheaded
the demands for accountability in Higher Education and given rise to the promulgation of a
series of Acts and regulations aimed at the transformation of the sector. The most important
legislation introduced was the SAQA Act No 58 of 1995. It provides the legal framework for
the transformation of the entire educational system in South Africa, and in particular for the
evaluation of the quality of Education and Training by establishing structures such as National
Standards Bodies (NSB's), Standard Generating Bodies (SGB's) and Education and Training
Quality Assurance Bodies (ETQA's). A significant development in South African Higher
Education was the publishing of the Education White Paper 3 and the promulgation of the
South African Higher Education Bill in 1997. One of the outstanding features of this
legislation is that the evaluation of the quality of Higher Education is compulsory, and will be
done by the Council on Higher Education (CHE), co-ordinated by its permanent committee,
the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC). There is a concern that rigidly enforced
quality assurance systems could have a negative impact on the academic freedom of
institutions. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to determine the most likely impact of
quality assurance on academic freedom. In order to achieve this objective, quality assurance
and academic freedom frameworks were developed respectively, and the interaction of the
various elements in this framework explored. In most instances it was found that quality
assurance could have a negative impact on academic freedom. One particular aspect that is of
serious concern at the tertiary level is the programme-based as opposed to discipline-based
approach to qualifications. This poses a serious threat to academic freedom as it effectively
diminishes the space within which academic freedom is practised. However, this conclusion
is based on a meta-physical study, and needs to be confirmed by appropriate empirical
studies. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Kwaliteitsversekering is reeds in baie lande 'n vername en blywende kenmerk van Hoër
Onderwys, en Suid-Afrika het in hierdie verband nie agtergebly nie. Die dringende behoefte
aan sosiale en ekonomiese ontwikkeling en die mededinging om skaars hulpbronne was aan
die spits van die eise om aanspreeklikheid in Hoër Onderwys en het aanleiding gegee tot die
promulgering van 'n reeks wette en regulasies wat op die transformasie van die sektor gerig is.
Die belangrikste wetgewing wat ingevoer is, is die Wet op die Suid-Afrikaanse Kwalifikasieowerheid
58 van 1995. Dit maak voorsiening vir die wetlike raamwerk vir die transformasie
van die hele onderwysstelsel in Suid-Afrika, en veral vir die evaluering van die kwaliteit van
Onderwys en Opleiding deur strukture soos Nasionale Standaardeliggame (NSL'e),
Standaarde-ontwikkelingsliggame (SOL'e ) en Onderwys-en-Opleidingskwaliteitversekeringsliggame
(OOKVL's). 'n Betekenisvolle ontwikkeling in Suid-Afrikaanse Hoër
Onderwys was die afkondiging van die Onderwys Witskrif 3 en die promulgering van die Wet
op Hoër Onderwys in 1997. Een van die besondere kenmerke van hierdie wetgewing is dat
die evaluering van die kwaliteit van Hoër Onderwys verpligtend is en deur die Raad vir Hoër
Onderwys (RHO) uitgevoer en deur sy permanente komitee, die Hoër
Onderwyskwaliteitskomitee (HOKK), gekoordineer word. Daar bestaan kommer dat streng
toegepaste kwaliteitsversekeringstelsels 'n negatiewe uitwerking op die akademiese vryheid
van instellings kan hê. Die doel van hierdie studie was dus om die waarskynlikste uitwerking
van kwaliteitsversekering op akademiese vryheid te bepaal. Ten einde hierdie doelwit te
bereik, is kwaliteitsversekerings- en akademiesevryheidsraamwerke onderskeidelik ontwikkel
en is die wisselwerking van die onderskeie elemente in hierdie raamwerk verken. Daar is in
die meeste gevalle bevind dat kwaliteitsversekering 'n negatiewe uitwerking op akademiese
vryheid kan hê. Een besondere aspek wat ernstige kommer op tersiêre vlak wek, is die
programgegronde benadering tot kwalifikasies in teenstelling met die dissiplinegegronde
benadering daartoe. Dit hou 'n ernstige bedreiging vir akademiese vryheid in aangesien dit die
ruimte waarbinne akademiese vryheid beoefen word, effektief inkort. Hierdie gevolgtrekking
is egter op 'n metafisiese studie gegrond en moet deur toepaslike empiriese studies bevestig
word.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52682 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Farmer, John |
| Contributors | Coetzee, D., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic & Management Sciences. Graduate School of Business . |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 107 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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