Internationalisation of the South African public higher education sector : 1994-2001.

Date
2009-03-04T06:11:52Z
Authors
Rouhani, Sepideh
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Abstract
This exploratory study investigated diverse facets of internationalisation at selected public higher education institutions in South Africa during the period from 1994 to 2001. The central aim of the research was to explore the responses of the South African public higher education sector to international student influx in the immediate post-apartheid era, a period characterised by the rapid restructuring and transformation of the sector. The study was undertaken with the rationale to address the gap in the research literature on internationalisation in general, and student mobility in particular, with specific reference to South Africa. An exploratory study of this nature could also inform higher education policy makers and was deemed to be appropriate at a time when South Africa had rejoined the international community after years of isolation. In seeking a conceptual framework for this research, a multi-disciplinary approach was pursued because globalisation and internationalisation are concepts that cut across several disciplines. The conceptual framework was thus informed by debates about globalisation and internationalisation, migration theory, international relations, political economy and higher education. Insights and knowledge from these theoretical perspectives were analysed and synthesised to formulate a plausible framework for the emergence of South Africa not just as a new global destination for international students, but also as one of the top 10 host nations in the world and the leading host country on the African continent. A two-phase or mixed-method research design was adopted for this study. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used in a complementary fashion. Five institutional case studies were selected as a snapshot of the (public) higher education sector in the immediate post-apartheid period between 1994 and 2001. In addition, the actions of other influential bodies and role players such as the Department of Education, the Council on Higher Education, the International Education Association of South Africa, the South African University Vice-Chancellors’ Association, the Committee of Technikon Principals and student formations were critically examined. The institutional case studies as well as research participants were purposefully selected on the basis of predetermined criteria, as explained in the methodology chapter. Primary and secondary data were gathered from the above iii institutions, staff and students using documents and semi-structured individual and focus group interviews. The interviews were transcribed and content analysed manually in order to generate emerging themes upon which the conclusions are based. In addition to institutional data, national data on international student enrolment trends also informed the findings of this research. Alluding to the findings, a variety of responses by South African (public) higher education institutions to international student influx between 1994 and 2001 are apparent. Whereas some institutions, mainly the larger, historically advantaged universities were more proactive and consciously decided to internationalise by adopting internationalisation policies and putting in place structures such as International Offices, other institutions, more specifically the smaller historically disadvantaged institutions, were unable to deal with internationalisation to the same extent and rather focussed on addressing the more pressing national higher education imperatives. While the responses of institutions within the South Africa (public) higher education sector have been diverse, reflecting their unequal historical legacies and future visions for strategic growth and development, it is argued that for the South African higher education sector to be more beneficial as a resource to the country, the Southern African region and the continent at large, a holistic, integrated national policy framework on internationalisation is required.
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Internationalisation, Higher education, South Africa
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