The book presents the most comprehensive and most thorough study of the developments in South African higher education and research after the first democratic elections of 1994, that is of post-Apartheid South African higher education.

The benefits to the reader are that he/she will get a detailed insight into the new (i.e. post-1994) South African higher education system. The large number of experienced authors and editors involved in the book guarantees that the reader will be introduced in the new SA higher education system from a large number of perspectives that are presented in a consistent and coherent way.

The book presents the most comprehensive and most thorough study of the developments in South African higher education and research after the first democratic elections of 1994, that is of post-Apartheid South African higher education.

The benefits to the reader are that he/she will get a detailed insight into the new (i.e. post-1994) South African higher education system. The large number of experienced authors and editors involved in the book guarantees that the reader will be introduced in the new SA higher education system from a large number of perspectives that are presented in a consistent and coherent way.

South Africa has made huge gains in ensuring universal enrolment for children at school, and in restructuring and recapitalising the FET college sector. However, some three million young people are not in education, employment or training and the country faces serious challenges in providing its youth with the pathways and support they need to transition successfully into a differentiated system of post-school education and training. Across nine evidence-based chapters, 17 authors offer a succinct overview of the different facets of post-school provision in South Africa. These include an analysis of the impact of the national qualifications system on occupational training, the impact of youth unemployment, the capacity of the post-school system to absorb larger numbers of young people, the relationship between universities and FET colleges, the need for more strategic public and private investment in skills development, and a youth perspective on education and training policy. The authors have a number of recommendations for improving the alignment between schooling, further education and training, and university education – interventions that could shape the future of South Africa's youth.

The research reflected in this volume indicates that in South Africa there are almost three million youth between the ages of 18 and 24 who are not in education, training or employment - a situation which points not only to a grave wastage of talent, but also to the possibility of serious social disruption. The authors in this work paint a picture of the enormous reservoir of human talent which exists in the country, but is not provided with the means to develop. Responding to the Educational Needs of Post-School Youth attempts not only to sketch the scope and extent of the current post-school educational crisis, but also to explore possible solutions through collaboration in the higher education sector. The findings reported here are a result of three distinctive but linked research components conducted by the Further Education and Training Institute (University of Western Cape), the Centre for Higher Education Transformation, and the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (University of Cape Town). The research was funded by the Ford Foundation and the project conducted in consultation with the Department of Education.

Universities and economic development in Africa: Pact, academic core and coordination draws together evidence and synthesises the findings from eight African case studies. The three key findings presented in this report are as follows: 1. There is a lack of clarity and agreement (pact) about a development model and the role of higher education in development, at both national and institutional levels. There is, however, an increasing awareness, particularly at government level, of the importance of universities in the global context of the knowledge economy. 2. Research production at the eight African universities is not strong enough to enable them to build on their traditional undergraduate teaching roles and make a sustained contribution to development via new knowledge production. A number of universities have manageable student-staff ratios and adequately qualifi ed staff, but inadequate funds for staff to engage in research. In addition, the incentive regimes do not support knowledge production. 3. In none of the countries in the sample is there a coordinated effort between government, external stakeholders and the university to systematically strengthen the contribution that the university can make to development. While at each of the universities there are exemplary development projects that connect strongly to external stakeholders and strengthen the academic core, the challenge is how to increase the number of these projects. The project on which this report is based forms part of a larger study on Higher Education and Economic Development in Africa, undertaken by the Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network in Africa (HERANA). HERANA is coordinated by the Centre for Higher Education Transformation in South Africa.

Universities and economic development in Africa presents the synthesis and includes the key findings of case studies of eight African countries and universities. The analysis and discussion presented in the book draw the following three main conclusions: There was a lack of clarity and agreement (pact) about a development model and the role of higher education in economic development, at both national and university levels, in all eight cases. There was, however, an increasing awareness, particularly at government level, of the importance of universities in the global context of the knowledge economy. Research production at the eight African universities was not strong enough to enable them to build on their traditional undergraduate teaching roles and make a sustained contribution to development via new knowledge production. A number of the universities had manageable student–staff ratios and adequately qualified staff, but inadequate funds for staff to engage in research. In addition, the incentive regimes did not support knowledge production. In none of the countries in the sample was there a coordinated effort between government, external stakeholders and the university to systematically strengthen the contribution that the university can make to development. While at each of the universities there were exemplary development projects that connected strongly to external stakeholders and strengthened the academic core, the challenge remains how to increase the number of these projects. The study on which this book is based forms part of a larger study on higher education and economic development in Africa, undertaken by the Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network in Africa (HERANA). HERANA is coordinated by the Centre for Higher Education Transformation (CHET) in South Africa.