Managing change in Higher Educational Institutions in South Africa: Some challenges

Abstract

Higher Education has a vital role in developing an internationally competitive economy, a more affluent society and a sturdy democracy. The newly released National Plan for Higher Education in South Africa should recognise the current social and economic status in the country to realign its mission, and to reconsider the location and target audience of the various institutions in the country, to optimally serve the educational needs of the communities. The proposals in the National Plan, however, attempts to attain in a few years what other stabilised countries took years. That poses major challenges to education management. The aim of this paper is to evaluate some aspects of the managerial skills in the national education authorities. By analysing the National Plan, and testing the views of a number of teaching staff, the conclusion is that there are serious doubts regarding the management acumen in the educational leadership and that various important aspects are left out in the Plan.