Students’ participation in university governance in South Africa

Front matter

org Vuyo Mthethwa

Students’ participation in university

governance in South Africa

Chapter 2: Student governance and advocacy in South Africa 2.1

2.2.

2.5: 2.4. 2.5.

2.1.1. Systemic governance

2.1.2. The institutional framework

2.1.3. Student Representative Council constitutions 2.1.4. Reasons for and benefits of student participation Models in student participation

2.21. Democratic principles

2.2.2. Market orientation

2.2.3. The community of scholars

2.2.4. State bureaucracy

Student political partisanship

Internet age for student advocacy

COVID-19 and students’ academic experiences

2.6.

2.5.1. Digital inequities

2.5.2. Home away from home

2.5.3. Family impact on the academic discourse Conclusion

Chapter 3: Theoretical framework 3.3

3.6.

Tinto’s theory of integration

3.21. Pre-entry attributes

3.2.2. Goals, commitment and intentions

3.2.3. Institutional experience

3.2.4. Integration or departure

3.2.5. Goals, commitments and intentions

3.2.6. Application of Tinto’s integration theory Astin’s theory of involvement

3.3.1. Physical and emotional energy

3.3.2. The continuum of student involvement 3.3.3. Effectiveness of policy and practice

3.3.4. Quality and quantity in involvement

3.3.5. Relating student learning to the extent of involvement 3.3.6. Application of the theory of involvement Student integration and retention in South Africa Participation typology

3.5.1. Informing

3.5.2. Co-option

3.5.3. Consultation

3.5.4. Placation

3.5.5. Voting

3.5.6. Negotiation

3.5.7. Partnership

3.5.8. Overall perspective on the student participation ladder Conclusion

Chapter 4: Research methodology 41. 4.2. 4.3

4.4.

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Research strategy

Research methodology and design

4.3.1. Case study

4.3.2. Snowball sample of student participants Rapport with participants

4.5. Ethical considerations and reporting 4.5.1. Ethical clearances 4.5.2. Participants’ consent 4.5.3. Protection of participants 4.6. Document analysis 4.7. Delimitations 4.8. Reflexivity in research 4.9. Conclusion

Chapter 5: Descriptive analysis of the study site and participants 5.1. Introduction 5.1.1. President 5.1.2. Deputy president 5.1.3. Campus premiers 5.1.4. Secretary-general 5.1.5. Deputy secretary-general 5.1.6. Treasurer 5.1.7. Academic officer 5.1.8. Additional participants interviewed 5.2. Prior experience in governance 5.3. Research sites 5.3.1. Campus 1 5.3.2. Campus 2 5.3.3. Campus 3 5.4. Reasons students contest for the Student Representative Council 5.4.1. Major stakeholders 5.4.2. Transformation and change agents 5.4.3. Partisan affiliation 5.4.4. Personal promotion and financial interest 5.5. Telephonic participants’ profiles 5.6. Conclusion

Chapter 6: The academic conundrum 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Analysing the constitutional framework

6.2.1. Student Representative Council constitutional objectives and principles

6.2.2. Eligibility of candidates for the Student Representative Council

6.2.3. Time commitments

67 67 67 68 68 70 70

73 13 75 77 78 79 80

81 82 82

6.3.

6.4.

The academic imperative 6.3.1. Academic objective 6.3.2. Academic obligation Conclusion

Chapter 7: Boardroom experiences

71. 7.2.

7:3

7.4.

University governance link to academic experiences 7.21. Link between governance and studies

7.2.2. Time allocation for governance

7.2.3. Level of involvement in governance

7.2.4. Balancing responsibilities with commitment

7.2.5. Differences between postgraduate and undergraduate governance participants

7.2.6. Lecturer support

Academic consequences of governance participation Suggestions on balancing roles

7.41. Suggestions for better academic participation 7.4.2. Suggestions for better governance efficiency Conclusion

Chapter 8: Hindering representatives’ empowerment

8.1.

8.2. 8.3.

8.1.1. Political accountability

8.1.2. Academic aspirations

8.1.3. Participants’ unrealistic expectations of their lecturers 8.1.4. Postgraduate and undergraduate capacity

8.1.5. Students propelled by socio-economic circumstances 8.1.6. Boardroom versus activism

COVID-19 learning realities

Conclusion

Chapter 9: Reimagining the academic puzzle

9.2.

23:

Introduction 9.1.1. Student governance in the new normal 91.2. Advocacy in the realm of active participation

Repositioning academic experience within the realm of institutional governance

Conclusion

105 105 108 110

111 111 111

153 153 155 156

157 161

Appendices References Index

165 179 191 xi

Abbreviations and acronyms, figures and tables appearing in the text and notes

List of abbreviations and acronyms

#FMF #RMF AGM ANC AO ASUSA AZASO CHE CP DA DASO DP DSG DVC EFF EFFSC HBUs HDIs HE HEIs HEA HWU IPADA

JPADA

NCHE NSFAS NRC PGCE PIO RADLA

#FeesMustFall

#RhodesMustFall

annual general meeting

African National Congress

academic officer

African Students’ Union of South Africa Azanian Student Organisation

Council for Higher Education

campus premier

Democratic Alliance

Democratic Alliance Students’ Organisation deputy president

deputy secretary-general

deputy vice-chancellor

Economic Freedom Fighters

Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command historically black universities

historically disadvantaged institutions higher education

Higher Education Institutions

Higher Education and Training Act of 1997 historically white universities

International Conference on Public Administration and Development Alternatives

Journal of Public Administration and Development Alternatives

National Commission on Higher Education National Student Financial Aid Scheme Natives’ Representative Council Postgraduate Certificate in Education projects and internationalisation officer Research and Doctoral Leadership Academy xiii

Abbreviations and acronyms, figures and tables appearing in the text and notes

SANC SADESMO SANSCO SASCO SASO SETA SG

SRC SSO TERS UCT UIF Unisa VC

South African Native College

South African Democratic Students Movement South African National Students’ Congress South African Students’ Congress

South African Students’ Organisation

Sector Education and Training Authority secretary-general

Student Representative Council

student services officer

Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme University of Cape Town

Unemployment Insurance Fund vice-chancellor

List of figures

Figure 2.1:

Figure 3.1: Figure 3.2: Figure 3.3: Figure 3.4:

Figure 3.5: Figure 8.1:

Figure 9.1:

Student Representative Council positionality in university governance.

Tinto’s model of integration.

Astin’s theory of involvement.

Circles of progression model.

Student Representative Council participation levels in governance.

Higher education governance structures.

Student Representative Council intersection between governance participation and academic experiences.

The Student Representative Council academic ecosystem.

List of tables

Table 5.1: Table 5.2: Table 5.3:

Study Student Representative Council participants.

Previous governance participation.

Campus 1 Student Representative Council political affiliations.

Campus 2 Student Representative Council statutory committee participation.

Profiles of students interviewed telephonically.

20 43 48 53

56 59

137 158

74 83

87 97

Table 6.3: Table 6.4:

Table 7.2: Table 7.3:

Table 7.6: Table A1:

Abbreviations and acronyms, figures and tables appearing in the text and notes

Student representative council constitutional objectives and principles.

Frequency of Student Representative Council meetings at select institutions.

Student Representative Council academic analysis.

Student Representative Council response to academic objectives.

Student Representative Council academic obligation analysis.

Student Representative Council portfolios and their enrolled course.

A typical day in the Student Representative Council.

Skills acquisition, personal development and other ancillary benefits.

Participant disadvantages.

Perceived governance impact on own academic performance.

Undergraduates and postgraduates in each campus.

Data analysis summation.

104 105

112 115

118 120

124 125 177

XV

Biographical note

Vuyo Mthethwa

People and Operations Division,

Durban University of Technology,

Durban, South Africa

Email: mthethwavl@gmail.com

Vuyo Mthethwa holds a PhD in Student Governance, conferred by the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in 2018. Her career ranges from being a journalist and public relations officer to serving as a human resources practitioner (her most pursued career). Mthethwa’s career path links primarily to her former qualifications, as she was awarded a BA in Social Sciences and a MA in Industrial Labour Studies, all obtained from the University of KwaZulu- Natal, South Africa. Most recently, Mthethwa has been awarded a certificate with distinction in Labour Dispute Resolution Practice by Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Mthethwa has over 30 years’ of experience in the human resources field, which includes both the private and public sectors, having established her own company, which operated for 20 years. She serves on various boards and chairs the South African Human Resources and Ethics Committee of one of these organisations. Although her area of specialisation has been human resources, she is passionate about student development and success. Her academic passion resonates with her conviction that students are our future and that it is critical to explore ways to assist them in giving a positive direction to their futures and the general well-being of South African people. After completing her PhD, Mthethwa presented her research at a Queens College, Oxford University conference. She has authored and coauthored academic research papers on student participation in university governance. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Mthethwa succeeded in contributing a chapter on student governance to a book published by IGI Global. She has been employed at three higher education institutions in South Africa, occupying different roles, including lectureship, as a director in the vice-chancellor’s office and is currently the deputy vice-chancellor of People and Operations at the Durban University of Technology, South Africa.

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