The contribution of a private higher education institution to the South African higher education landscape

Abstract

Private Higher Education (PHE) is perceived in South Africa to deliver programmes of questionable quality in search of profit maximisation (CHE 2016, 84). To curb this perception, the Council on Higher Education (CHE) has instituted strict regulations with regard to accrediting qualifications presented by institutions of higher learning. To determine the contributions of PHE to the South African higher education landscape, this article evaluates a registered management programme, recommended by the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the CHE, and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) (CHE, 2013). Using Kirkpatrick’s (1996) four-level model of training programme evaluation as the theoretical framework, the management programme was evaluated to determine its contribution to the South African higher education landscape. The four levels included the perception of the learners, the knowledge gained by the learners, the learners’ performance in the workplace and the return on investment. Other stakeholders, such as the sponsors and students’ line managers, were interviewed to determine whether the programme had contributed to work outputs. Overall, the results show that the programme is contributing to the development of higher education in South Africa.