The implications of current legislative changes for academic freedom and institutional autonomy of South African higher education institutions
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Van Pletzen, Johanna Helena
English: Traditionally HEIs have been places dedicated to the search for the truth, where the truth can be pursued without fear of retribution or interference and where academics can decide what and how they teach and research. This is the essence of academic freedom, one of the principles of HE, but also a prerequisite for well-functioning HEIs and a well-functioning HE system. Equally important is the institutional autonomy of HEIs, because without institutional autonomy, academic freedom cannot exist. In unequivocal terms, should HEIs fail to have autonomy when executing their core functions, the academic freedom of individual academics will be influenced. Both academic freedom and institutional autonomy are inextricably linked to the relationship between HEIs and government. The nature of the relationship between the government and HEIs is gleaned from legislative and other regulatory documents, and directly impacts on the academic freedom and institutional autonomy of HEIs. Given the importance of academic freedom and institutional autonomy for HEIs, the questions raised by scholars and HEI managers alike regarding the 2012 Higher Education and Training Laws Amendment Act are significant. These critics maintain that the Amendment Act impinges on the academic freedom and institutional autonomy of HEIs. This qualitative research study, framed within the interpretivist paradigm, was undertaken primarily to research what the real or potential implications of the Amendment Act are for the academic freedom and institutional autonomy of HEIs. The following research methods were applied in this study, namely: (a) Aliterature reviewof the the relationship between the government and HEIs, the principles of academic freedomand institutional autonomy, and the relationship between these principles, was performed, (b) Bacchi’s evaluative policy analysis “what’s the problem represented to be?” approach was applied to the Amendment Act,and (c) Semi-structured interviewswere conducted with information-rich participants (two senior officials and one senior academic staff member) of the three participating HEIs.Theseparticipating HEIs were selected by applying the classification system of high, medium and low research producing HEIs (one HEI from each category), while the participants were selected because of their intimate knowledge ofHElegislation and policy and its implications for HEIs, and to secure a wide range of representativeness. The aim of the semi-structured interviews was to determine the perceptions of the participants regarding whether the relevant provisions of the Amendment Act haveany potential or real implications for the academic freedom and institutional autonomy of HEIs. The data obtained from the semi-structured interviews were coded, with the application of the thematic approach. On completion of all these processes, namely, the literature review, policy analysis of the Amendment Act and the findings of the perception study, the results were integrated and the conclusion was reached that the Amendment Act does impinge on the academic freedom and institutionalautonomy of HEIs, with the consequence that the effective functioning of SA HEIsand the SAHE system isat risk. One of the recommendations that emanate from this study includes that the principles of academic freedom and institutional autonomy should be critically engaged with by HEIs, in order to establish a new definition of academic freedom and institutional autonomy appropriate for the post 1994 period.
Afrikaans: Tradisioneel was HOI’s plekke wat toegewy was aan die soeke na waarheid, waar die waarheid nagevolg kon word sonder vrees vir vergelding of inmenging, en waar akademici kon besluit oor wat en hoe hulle onderrig en navors. Dit is die wese van akademiese vryheid, een van die beginsels van HO, maar ook ŉ voorvereiste vir behoorlik funksionerende HOI’s en ŉ behoorlik funksionerende HO-stelsel. Ewe belangrik is die institusionele outonomie van HOI’s, omdat akademiese vryheid nie sonder institusionele outonomie kan bestaan nie. In ondubbelsinnige terme, indien HOI’s nie outonomie het wanneer hulle hul kernfunksies uitvoer nie, sal die akademiese vryheid van individuele akademici aangetas word. Akademiese vryheid en institusionele outonomie is onlosmaaklik verbind aan die verhouding tussen HOI’s en die regering. Die aard van die verhouding tussen die regering en HOI’s spruit voort uit wetgewende en ander regulerende dokumente en affekteer akademiese vryheid en institusionele outonomie van HOI’s direk. Gegewe die belangrikheid van akademiese vryheid en institusionele outonomie vir HOI’s, is die vrae wat geleerdes en HOI-bestuurders ten opsigte van die Wysigingswet op Hoër Onderwys- en opleidingswette van 2012 opper, betekenisvol. Hierdie kritici hou vol dat die Wysigingswet op akademiese vryheid en institusionele outonomie van HOI’s inbreuk maak. Hierdie kwalitatiewe navorsingstudie, binne die raamwerk van die interpretivistiese paradigma, is primêr onderneem om na te vors wat die werklike of potensiële implikasies van die Wysigingswet vir akademiese vryheid en institusionele outonomie van HOI’s is. Die volgende navorsingsmetodes is in hierdie studie aangewend: (a) ŉ Literatuurstudie oor die verhouding tusen die regering en HOI’s, die beginsels van akademiese vryheid en institusionele outonomie, en die verwantskap tussen hierdie beginsels, is uitgevoer. (b) Bacchi se evaluerende beleidsontleding “What’s the problem represented to be?” -benadering is op die Wysigingswet toegepas. (c) Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is met inligtingryke deelnemers (twee senior beamptes en ŉ senior akademiese personeellid) van die drie deelnemende HOI’s gevoer. Hierdie deelnemende HOI’s is geselekteer deur die klassifikasiestelsel van hoë, medium en lae navorsingproduserende HOI’s (een HOI in elke kategorie) toe te pas, terwyl die deelnemers geselekteer is van wee hulle diepgaande kennis van HO-wetgewing en –beleid en die implikasies daarvan vir HOI’s, en om ŉ wye reeks van verteenwoordiging te verseker. Die doel van die semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude was om die persepsies van die deelnemers oor of die relevante bepalings van die Wysigingswet enige potensiële of werklike implikasies vir akademiese vryheid en institusionele outonomie van HOI’s het, vas te stel. Die data wat uit die semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude verkry is, is deur middel van die toepassing van die tematiese benadering gekodeer. By voltooiing van hierdie prosesse, naamlik die literatuurstudie, beleidsanalise van die Wysigingswet en die bevindings van die persepsiestudie, is die resultate geïntegreer, en die gevolgtrekking is gemaak dat die Wysigingswet wel op die akademiese vryheid en institusionele outonomie van HOI’s inbreuk maak, met die gevolg dat die effektiewe funksionering van HOI’s en die HO-stelsel in SA in gevaar is. Aanbevelings wat uit hierdie studie voortspruit sluit in dat HOI’s krities oor die beginsels van akademiese vryheid en institusionele outonomie behoort te besin ten einde ŉ nuwe definisie van akademiese vryheid en institusionele outonomie wat geskik is vir die tydperk ná 1994 daar te stel.