Work-integrated learning at a comprehensive higher education institution

Abstract

Prior to the first democratic elections in South Africa, in 1994, education was questioned. Volumes of discussion documents, green and white papers, and bills preceded the final report of the National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE). Higher education consisted of a binary system of 21 universities on a level higher than the 15 technikons (generally known as polytechnics or institutes of technology in other parts of the world). The NCHE report argued for the creation of a single, coordinated system.

As part of the transformation processes in South Africa, the erstwhile Minister of Education instituted a restructuring of the higher education landscape in 2001, through the National Plan for Higher Education. Several institutions were obliged to merge: some strong universities with poorly performing ones; technikons with other technikons, for similar reasons; and some universities with technikons to form a new type of institution. Comprehensive institutions would offer a combination of university and technikon-type programmes.

In January 2004 the former University of South Africa (Unisa) merged with Technikon Southern Africa (TSA) and VUDEC, the distance education campus of Vista University. The billboard slogans on the campuses read: ‘3 to one, the countdown has begun to comprehensive distance education for the nation’.

Technikons and universities face many challenges as they are obliged to merge. University academics often do not recognise the importance of career-orientated, professional and industrially-based courses. This article will deal with some of these challenges regarding work-integrated learning.