1. THE PROBLEM INVESTIGATED -
In the course of the past decade it has become clear that the ever-increasing
tempo of scientific and technological development has
increasingly placed the stress to a larger extent on proper training,
and the implementation of especially high-level manpower. Apart
from formal education continuing education and in-service training
and retraining have begun to receive attention universally from
educational authorities.
It is also a fact that the practitioner of a profession periodically
has to receive continuing education and training in order
* to attain specialised knowledge in his own field;
* to keep up with recent developments in his field; and
* to get help with new adjustments and challenges posed by
the profession he is in.
Apart from continuing education to the professional practitioner, provision
also has to be made for supportive programmes, provision for
ad hoc needs for knowledge about specific issues, the identification
of individuals who either did not enter into the sphere of formal education
or who left it early, and the fulfilment of knowledge about
recreational activities.
With regard to continuing education the following might be stated
axiomatically:
* education and training are continuing activities;
* in both developed and developing countries lifelong learning
should receive the highest priority rating in all educational
planning, and
* in the RSA the need for continuing education was stressed by
two recent government reports, viz. Provision of Education
in the RSA (HSRC Report), 1981, and Report of the National
Manpower Commission on High Level Manpower in the RSA, 1980.
The problem to be investigated was thus:
What task does the university have in the provision of continuing education
and how can the university fulfil this task?
In other words, it has to be determined what the task of the university,
with its special structural nature, skills and facilities is with regard
to the provision of continuing education, with its complex objectives,
structure and idiosyncratic nature.
2. HYPOTHESES -
The following research hypotheses were postulated:
Main hypothesis
The university with its skills encompassed in a large number of departments,
bureaus and institutes, has, apart from its task of formal instruction
of registered students, also the task of making a contribution
in the provision of continuing education to practitioners of professions
and the “general public”.
Sub-hypothesis 1:
The special nature of continuing education makes possible the effective
participation of the university in this activity.
Sub-hypothesis 2:
The university, on the basis of its special structure, is particularly
suited to make a contribution in the field of continuing education.
Sub-hypothesis 3:
Various overseas and South African universities are already actively
engaged in the field of continuing education.
Sub-hypothesis 4:
The Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education has a contribution
to make in the field of continuing education on the basis
of its special character.
3. METHOD OF RESEARCH -
At the inception of the study a hypothesis and a number of sub-hypotheses
were postulated. In the course of the study the hypotheses were then
proved either in terms of being acceptable or unacceptable.
Use was also made of a literature survey and interviewing by way of a
schedule of questions asked of university departments and units for
continuing education at universities. Concepts were defined, deductions
and conclusions were arrived at and descriptions were also used.
* In chapter 2, by means of a literature survey, variant concepts
of continuing education were dealt with and explicated, viz.,
amongst others, adult education, lifelong education, life-wide
education and recurrent education. The nature, the essence,
the structure and aspects of continuing education were also
dealt with. Subsequently motives which adults have for participating
in continuing education programmes were examined,
and it emerged that the social togetherness with others and
the desire to make progress professionally are important motives.
The need for continuing education to be integrated into the
system of formal educational provision was stressed.
* In chapter 3 the task of the university, with special reference
to the provision of continuing education, was put under the
magnifying glass. It was pointed out that continuing education
is one of the most important aspects of the community service
which the university can render.
* In chapter 4 the stress was on the provision of continuing education
at some overseas universities. Examples of courses for
the practitioners of professions as well as generally formative
and culturally enriching programmes were provided. Both the
manner of presentation of these courses and the purpose of the
courses were looked at.
* In chapter 5 the provision of continuing education in South
African universities were dealt with in the same way. Reference
was made evaluatively to noticeably positive and less positive
aspects of the provision of continuing education at each university.
* In chapter 6 attention was given to the provision of continuing
education at the PU for CHE with due regard for the special
nature and essence of the university, the area from which the
university draws its students and the skills offered at this
university. Apart from continuing educational courses initiated
by the Bureau for Continuing Education and presented under
its auspices, reference was also made to continuing educational
courses offered by departments, bureaus and institutes. In
the same manner as when dealing with the other universities,
evaluation was made and deficiencies pointed out.
* In chapter 7 findings were arrived at, conclusions drawn and
some recommendations made.
4. FINDINGS -
4.1 With regard to the sub-hypotheses:
4.1.1 The special nature of continuing education makes possible the
effective participation of the university in this activity
Continuing education is a creative event which continues throughout
man’s life and which has the purpose of integrating the various learning
events with each other in order to have man developed in his totality.
Continuing education points to a new view and a new approach with regard to education and the provision of educational services.
The view that education should be limited merely to institutions for
formal education has made room for a new approach: education carries
on throughout man 1s life. It is also true that no initial training
can offer a guarantee for lifelong training, and it is periodically
necessary for practitioners of professions to be trained in-service.
“Professional practitioner” implies someone who has already received
higher education.)
School and university curricula should to a larger extent make provision
for continuing education. Stress has to be put throughout on the need
for continuing education. Through bringing home self-study techniques
to pupils and students they can be prepared for eventual further training
following the period of formal education at the secondary or the tertiary
level.
Continuing education envisages the optimal development of all people
at all stages of life, and the optimal utilization of all educational
facilities (including therefore those of the university too) in the interests
of the state, but above all with a view to the richer personal
fulfilment of the individual.
Although continuing education indicates education in the wider sense,
it places primary stress on professional training and re-training, that
is, in-service training of professional practitioners. What is also
envisaged with continuing education is culturally and generally formative
education of the "general public".
The special nature and objectives of continuing education, viz. to retrain
the professional practitioner periodically, thus makes possible
the effective participation of the universities which are especially
equipped to fulfil this demand, the need for continuing education.
4.1.2 The university, on the basis of its special structure, is
particularly suited to make a contribution in the field of
continuing education
It is universally accepted that the task of the university is to teach,
to do research and to provide community service. The university
serves the local community from which it receives financial support
and other support, and from which its students are drawn. The university
also renders service to the national community through the training
of scientists and professional practitioners.
As a result of technological developments in all fields throughout the
world, the task of community service of the university has been thus
influenced that increasingly attention has had to be given to the training,
re-training and in-service training of professional practitioners.
This further training is also in the first instance applicable to those
who have already been trained for a profession, but whose knowledge
has become obsolescent as a result of technological development. It is
also true that the community service of the university is linked to the
teaching and research tasks of the university and that continuing education
can be mentioned as an example of community service.
The university has special skills which are situated in its academic
departments and research and teaching bureaus and institutes. The
university also has the calling of rendering community service in the
shape of continuing education.
It is universally accepted that continuing education is not a separate
activity of the university 1s teaching structure, that continuing edu=
cation should be offered at university level and that co-ordinated con=
tinuing educational activities are to be preferred tci separate, ad hoc
efforts. On the other hand it is generally accepted that community
service (and implicitly continuing education) should not take place
at the expense of the primary task of the university which is teaching
and research.
4.1.3 Various overseas and South African universities are
already actively engaged in the field of continuing
education
Continuing educational courses which have as an objective in-service
training or refresher courses for professional practitioners, and the
general forming and knowledge and cultural enrichment of the community,
are offered locally and overseas over a wide spectrum.
Continuing education courses for professional practitioners, e.g. for
attorneys, medics, nurses, social workers, accountants, engineers and
teachers vary from one-day seminars to three-week residential courses.
Generally formative and culturally enriching courses for the public vary
from evening classes to week-long courses and mostly also include
public lectures on topical events. These courses often form part of
Winter and Summer Schools. Courses providing knowledge about recreational activities are also included in these fields.
Examination of continuing education courses is seldom done, and normally
only attendance certificates are presented. On the other hand, it
usually happens at overseas universities that credits for degree purposes
can be achieved through continuing education courses.
It is also a fact that in some cases at overseas institutions so much
value is attached to continuing education as a means to the further
training of the employee that substantial rebates are allowed in personal
income tax to the employee in terms of costs incurred in the
course of continuing educational courses.
At most South African universities, in contrast to overseas universities,
no attention to speak of is given to research on continuing education.
Continuing education units usually function as separate departments
at universities and are controlled according to regulations, constitutions
etc. In some cases at South African universities the unit for
continuing education constitutes part of another department, such as
for example university education.
With regard to the financing of continuing education units, the following
variations are found: from completely self-sufficient to completely
dependent on financing through the university. In South Africa continuing
education of universities can not claim state subsidies. In
England continuing education is fully subsidized by both the central
and local governments.
Apart from presentation of continuing education courses in the form of
lectures, seminars, conferences and discussions, courses at some
overseas universities are also presented by means of audio and video
cassettes and by way of correspondence courses. Radio and television
are also freely used for this purpose by universities that have their
own radio transmitters and/or television channels.
4.1.4 The Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education
has a contribution to make in the field of continuing education
on the basis of its special character
The academic skills of the PU for CHE are located in 8 faculties, more
than 80 academic departments and a number of bureaus, centres and institutes.
This university also has its own specific skills because of
its Christian-Afrikaans character, its rura1 but also semi-urban situation
(Vaa1 Campus) and its specia1 area from which students are
drawn - ski1ls which are transmitted via a Christian practice of
scho1arship and which can then also make a contribution to the provision
of continuing education.
In the same way as is the case with other South African universities,
the objective of continuing education at this university is also
periodically to retrain professiona1 practitioners and also to render
community service in the form of generally formative and culturally
enriching programmes.
Because of the rural situation of this university the nature of continuing
education differs from urban universities, in the same way that
the number of people involved in the programmes are different.
4.2 With regard to the main hypothesis:
On the basis of the acceptance of the above four sub-hypotheses the
main hypothesis can also now be accepted. The crucial finding on the
basis of the research is that the university, with its skills encompassed
in a large number of departments, bureaus and institutes, apart
from the formal task of teaching registered undergraduate and postgraduate
students, also has the task of rendering continuing education
to professional practitioners and the "general pub1ic".
5. SOME RECOMMENDATIONS MADE ON THE BASIS OF THE COMPLETED RESEARCH -
The recommendations emanating from the research are distinguished into
two groups, viz. recommendations with regard to continuing education
in general by universities, and secondly recommendations aimed more
specifically at continuing education at the PU for CHE.
5.1 General recommendations:
* Research on continuing education should get more attention.
* Continuing education provision to the professional practitioner
could be extended to more professions.
* More co-operation should be obtained with professional councils
in the provision of continuing education for the professional
practitioner.
* Universities could co-operate in the presentation of continuing
education courses.
* Co-operative training ("sandwich courses") should be considered
for the training of various professional practitioners.
* Continuing educational presentations at universities should
receive financial support from government.
5.2 Recommendations more specifically with regard to
continuing education at the PU for CHE:
* More attention should be directed to the continuing educational
opportunities for the agricultural and mining sectors.
* More effective liaison should be effected between the Bureau
for Continuing Education and academic departments.
* Consideration should be given to audio and video cassettes and
correspondence courses in the presentation of continuing education
courses, amongst others in Christian scholarship.
* Continuing education courses can be presented decentralized
to a larger extent.
* The institution of a course in non-formal education at the
H.E.D. or B.Ed. levels should be considered. / Proefskrif (DEd)--PU vir CHO, 1985
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/10965 |
| Date | January 1985 |
| Creators | Espach, Johannes Benjamin |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | other |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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