The role of stakeholders in the transformation of the south african higher education system

Abstract

The chapter seeks to explore the various roles played by higher education stakeholders during the different phases in the transformation of higher education in South Africa since the onset of the new democracy. These stakeholders can be divided into internal and external stakeholders as their role and impact on the system is different. In examining the role played by stakeholders in South African higher education, the approach used here is that of a chronological account, starting with the apartheid era. In this case then, the history of South African higher education is very instructive to the current state of affairs. The first period analysed here is predemocracy including the colonial and apartheid eras. The next period is the one that I describe as the reconstruction era as it is during this period that all facets of South Africa were being reconstructed. This period was to be followed by a number of changes in the socioeconomic environment that, in turn, influenced the higher education system.