Perspectives on Student Affairs in South Africa

Description

The goal of Perspectives on Student Affairs in South Africa is to generate interest in student affairs in South Africa. The papers contained herein are based on best practice, local experience and well-researched international and local theories. The papers in this book deal with matters pertaining to international and national trends in student affairs: academic development, access and retention, counselling, and material support for students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. They are linked to national and international developments, as described in the first two papers. This publication will assist both young and experienced practitioners as they grow into their task of developing the students entrusted to them. All contributors are South Africans with a great deal of experience in student affairs, and all are committed to the advancement of student affairs in South Africa. The editors are former heads of student affairs portfolios at two leading South African universities.

Sujets

• Éducation
• Education

Informations

• Publié par: African Minds
• Date de parution: 17 juillet 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781920677602
• Langue: English

Extrait

PERSPECTIVES ON STUDENT AFFAIRS IN SOUTH AFRICA Edited by McGlory Speckman and Martin Mandew Foreword by Prof. Ahmed Bawa

Perspectives on Student Affairs in Sout Africa

Edited by McGlory Speckman and Martin Mandew

Foreword by Prof. Amed Bawa

AFRICAN MINDS

Publised in 2014 by African Minds 4 Eccleston Place, Somerset West 7130, Sout Africa [e-mail] www.africanminds.org.za

African Minds is a not-for-profit, open-access publiser. In line wit our goal of developing and fostering access, openness and debate in te pursuit of growing and deepening te African knowledge base and an Africa-based creative commons, tis publication forms part of our non-peer- reviewed list, te broad mission of wic is to support te dissemination of knowledge from and in Africa relevant to addressing te social callenges tat face te African continent.

Paperback ISBN978-1-920677-44-2 ePub ISBN978-1-920677-60-2 eBook ISBN978-1-920677-64-0

 2014 McGlory Speckman and Martin Mandew (eds)

Orders For orders from witin Sout Africa: Blue Weaver PO Box 30370, Tokai 7966, Cape Town, Sout Africa Email: [e-mail]

For orders from outside Sout Africa: African Books Collective PO Box 721, Oxford OX1 9EN, UK [e-mail] www.africanbookscollective.com

Design and lay-out COMPRESS.dsl | www.compressdsl.com

Te editors gratefully acknowledge te financial assistance of SAASSAP in te production and printing of tis book.

Table of contents

Foreword v . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Preface ix  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Biograpical notes xiii  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Introduction 1  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PART 1: An Overview of Issues and Callenges Key callenges facing student affairs: An international perspective 9  . . . . . . . . . . . . . Birgit Screiber

An overview of critical issues in te student affairs profession: A Sout African perspective 27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Llewellyn MacMaster

PART 2: Access, Support and Success Academic student affairs: Bridging te gap for student development and success 41  . . Martin Mandew

Student success as te number one affair in student affairs: A structural inequality outlook 59  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matete Madiba

Back to basics: Selected views on factors tat prevent access in iger education 77  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lullu Tsiwula and Ncedikaya Magopeni

PART 3: Holistic Support Te etical callenges of a student counselling professional: Wen does discretion become permissible? 95  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hanlé Kirkcaldy

Te place of social work as a support service for tertiary students 107  . . . . . . . . . . . . Zetu Mkize

Towards an asset-based model: A critical reflection on student material support wit special reference to clientood/citizensip tension 121  . . . . McGlory Speckman

Bibliograpy 145  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Foreword

Sout African iger education as a istoric role to play, a role tat as been identified and accepted by all sectors in our society and by important global institutions suc as UNESCO and te World Bank. It is a powerful role tat produces bot public and private goods. Te production of ig level graduates, te production of new knowledge, te development of critical, active participants in our democracy, addressing te many legacies of aparteid, tese are all examples of te public goods produced by te sector. Te very ig correlation between iger education and employability of graduates and teir earning power and so on are examples of te private goods produced. At te eart of tis project are te continuing callenges of access and success – understanding ow best to address te deeply fragmented preparation of our students for iger education. Teir educational, social and emotional preparedness for iger education is always at te eart of te debate wen we consider tat te drop-out rate of students in te system is at about te 50 per cent level for te system as a wole. Tis is sockingly iger tan in oter university systems. Student welfare and student development ave to be at te eart of any student-centred system tat begins to conceptualise itself around te needs of te students in our system. It is a basic foundational requirement for student success. If we fail to provide olistic support to our students we face te danger of creating a revolving door syndrome, re-creating aparteid graduate dynamics, developing graduates wo are not active, creative participants in te economy, and so on. he point to empasise is tat specialists in te areas of student services and student development are fundamental to te proper functioning of universities – to develop and nurture student growt in and beyond te classroom context so tat learning takes place tat prepares students for teir future roles as active participants and contributors to te development of te economy and te deepening of our democracy.

Perspectives on Student Affairs

It is important to understand tat te inequalities tat are so pervasive in Sout Africa re-create temselves at our universities. And so do te deep ills of our society – te devastation of HIV/Aids, te spreading of a deepening drug culture, te deep economic inequalities and so on. It is te student services sector tat is at te coalface (and cutting edge) in terms of tese callenges. Experienced practitioners pick up a number of tings tat lecturers are often not alert to. Invariably, tese reflect in a microcosmic context wat individual members of te broader society are going troug. Institutions of iger learning, wose mandate is partly to find solutions to societal problems, cannot step aside and watc te situation deteriorating furter on te grounds tat it is not of teir creation but a wider societal problem. Problems manifest in different ways in eac context and tey also vary in degrees of severity. he Department of Higer Education and Training began many new initiatives, all ostensibly to improve te quality of te student experience for students. he massive increase in te financial aid allocation from te treasury, te development of a process of engagement on transformation, te commissioning of a study on student accommodation are examples of te kinds of interventions tat impact on te quality of student experience. hese ave drawn eavily on tose individuals and teams tat work in te student services, student development arenas. At a time wen universities suc as Durban University of Tecnology ave begun to focus muc attention on te idea of student-centredness, it is a pleasure to note tat tis book touces on te key issues tat provide for a olistic understanding of te student as a young uman being. Some of te issues raised in it are contentious, some are callenging to understand, some even controversial. his is good. It gives te reader a cance to engage wit tese. It provides for a safe platform for debate and for wrestling wit te issues tat concern our students and te services we provide to tem. As a body of senior student affairs/student development professionals, SAASSAP as done exactly wat is expected of it, leading from te front. I trust tat more of its members as well as tose wo report to tem will follow suit. It sould be remembered tat student development and student success occur as a result of deliberate, well-planned and carefully structured development programmes and support initiatives and activities on te part of tose wo ave been entrusted wit tis responsibility at our iger education institutions. he nature and extent of student development and success depends largely on te measure to wic student services practitioners critically reflect upon and consistently review te assumptions, content, delivery and appropriateness of student development programmes, support structures, services and initiatives. his process of critical reflection, examination and renewal needs to be rigorous,

vi

Foreword

goal-oriented and teoretically informed. It must take serious cognisance of all factors, personal, structural, social, cultural, psycological, internal and external, tat impact on student ability to develop and succeed. In te final analysis, te process must produce sound knowledge and propose solutions tat are practical and implementable, contributing towards student development and success. his publication marks a very important milestone in te generation and expansion of endogenous knowledge in te field of student affairs and student services. It is te beginning of a crucial process designed to facilitate a muc needed dialogue in pursuit of a common and sared vision for student development and success witin te context of Sout Africa. he issues tat are critically examined in tis book are important and tey affect students as tey progress troug our iger education system. We need to make sure tat students receive te necessary development, support and guidance to succeed. his publication is an important resource for our student affairs practitioners and I am appy to support te effort to bring to fruition te formation of a sared vision for student development and success.

Prof. Amed Bawa Vice-cancellor, Durban University of Tecnology and past president of Higer Education Sout Africa (HESA)

vii