Political economy of higher education: comparing South Africa to trends in the world

Shrivastava, Meenal; Shrivastava, S.

doi:10.1007/s10734-013-9709-6

Cited by 40 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Another key resourcing issue is a lack of availability of high-quality content. Several studies have talked of the possible advantage of using international content including open educational resources and massive open online courses especially to support students in large classes by providing interactive content, scaffold learning, and activities where practical skills can be practised (Asamoah, 2017;Hornsby & Osman, 2014;Leeds, 2013;Ng'ambi, Brown, Bozalek, Gachago, & Wood, 2016;Shrivastava & Shrivastava, 2014). However, the weakness of these resources is that they are often expensive and require licenses (Ghasia et al, 2018;Nafukho & Muyia, 2013), they do not address local technical limitations such as limited bandwidth and take the capabilities of older mobile devices into account (Brown et al, 2016;Nafukho & Muyia, 2013).…”

Section: Resourcing Barriersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobile learning policy and practice in Africa: Towards inclusive and equitable access to higher education

Kaliisa

Picard

2019

AJET

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This article presents the results of a review of practice and policy in relation to mobile learning and its potential to enhance inclusive and equitable access to higher education in Africa. We reviewed academic literature on potential barriers. Then, we explored the current state of the mobile learning policy environment in 10 African countries through an analysis of how these policies have tried to address the prominent challenges in the adoption of mobile learning as identified in the literature. The findings reveal that significant resourcing inequalities and epistemological, sociocultural, and institutional barriers remain and affect mobile learning adoption. The analysis also reveals that there is still a policy vacuum in relation to mobile learning specific policies within African higher education institutional and governmental policies. Thus, the formal integration of mobile learning in higher education to facilitate equitable access is very much in its infancy. This article suggests a strong need for institutional, cross-institutional, national and African-wide mobile learning specific policies to ensure better implementation of mobile learning. As interest in mobile learning continues to grow, this review will provide insights into policy and strategic planning for the adoption of mobile learning to achieve inclusive and equitable access to higher education.

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Section: Resourcing Barriersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobile learning policy and practice in Africa: Towards inclusive and equitable access to higher education

Kaliisa

Picard

2019

AJET

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“…A faster education growth rate might thus result in faster transition growth rates and higher incomes. Hence, investment in higher education can be seen as a favourable investment, especially in developing countries (Shrivastava and Shrivastava 2014).…”

Section: Advantages and Disadvantagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Private benefits would include greater employment possibilities, desirable salaries, better health and enhanced quality of life (Shrivastava and Shrivastava 2014).…”

Section: Advantages and Disadvantagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…South Africa generates its revenue mostly through tax and borrowing money from world-wide financial institutions, which is then allocated to public institutions according to the country's national plan and priorities (Teferra 2016). The role of government regarding education policy and education funding is critical to any country, as education is seen as one of the vital cornerstones of economic, social and political development (Shrivastava and Shrivastava 2014).…”

Section: Percentage Of Gdp and The Budgetmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, due to many reasons, such promises of mediation are often not realised, especially in South Africa (Badat 2016). The country's legacy of inexcusable inequalities due to apartheid had a damaging effect on higher education, resulting in uneven access, different success rates for different students as determined by factors such as race, gender, class, region as well as unequal employment opportunities, and unequal staffing resources (Waghid 2002;Shrivastava and Shrivastava 2014). Many of these issues, together with the main goal of insisting "free" higher education for all, are the reasoning behind recent protests in South Africa.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Does "free" higher education in South Africa make economic sense? Views of commerce students

Jager

Baard

2019

SAJHE

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Student protests demanding "free" higher education at South Africa universities in 2015 is a reminder that there are still a lot of unresolved issues regarding the inequalities due to the apartheid era in the higher education system. Some of these issues include insufficient state funding of higher education, the increase of tuition fee and unpaid student debt. Even though "free" higher education sounds appealing, the question is whether implementing "free" higher education would make economic sense in South Africa. The study aimed to investigate the perceptions of commerce students at one South African university regarding the economic feasibility of "free" higher education and how it might affect the South African economy. The research aimed to give a descriptive analysis of the perceptions of commerce students and were empirically investigated by means of a questionnaire, containing both open and closed questions. Gaining understanding into student perceptions can be invaluable, as they are considered the livelihood of higher education institutions. The results show that the respondents do not think that "free" higher education make economic sense in South Africa as the economy is too weak and there is too much corruption and wasteful spending in government. The respondents also indicated that the economy will mostly be negatively affected by "free" higher education in that there will be an increase of the financial burden on the South African economy and tax payer. They also regard other government services to be of greater importance than implementing "free" higher education. The results of this study are not necessarily generalisable beyond the scope of the particular institution, but the findings do create a platform for the continued debate on the importance, economic feasibility and implementation of "free" higher education in South Africa.

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Community Colleges, Human Capital, and Economic Growth in Developing Countries

Tyndorf

Glass

2017

New Drctns Community Coll

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Political economy of higher education: comparing South Africa to trends in the world

Cited by 40 publications

References 15 publications

Mobile learning policy and practice in Africa: Towards inclusive and equitable access to higher education

Mobile learning policy and practice in Africa: Towards inclusive and equitable access to higher education

Does "free" higher education in South Africa make economic sense? Views of commerce students

Community Colleges, Human Capital, and Economic Growth in Developing Countries

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