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body of knowledge (see Maake, 2011; Jansen, xx; Nkomo, Swartz and Maja, 2006; Chetty
and Merrett, xx).

13. Reflections on higher education transformation in South Africa generally choose the
policy-starting-points reflected in the report (1996) of the National Commission on
Higher Education (NCHE); the White Paper on Higher Education (1997); the Higher
Education Act (1997); the National Plan for Higher Education (2001); the Report of the
Ministerial Committee on Transformation and Social Cohesion and the Elimination of
Discrimination in Public Higher Education Institutions (2008); the Declaration of the
Higher Education Summit (2010); the National Development Plan (2012); the terms of
reference of the Ministerial Oversight Committee on Transformation in South African
Public Universities (2013); and the White Paper for Post-school Education and Training
3
(2014) .

14. Jansen et al (2007) suggest six types of knowledge-production that define research on
change (transformation) in higher education in South Africa: statistical surveys; case
studies; historical inquiry; critical events research; policy analysis; and single-issue
4
studies . ‘Many of these studies are descriptive and to some extent analytical, but very

3
The draft social inclusion policy framework of the Department of Higher Education and Training includes a comprehensive list
that constitutes the South African post school legal and policy architecture as it relates to transformation: Department of
Education, National Education Policy Act (Act no.27 of 1996); Department of Education, White Paper 3 on the Transformation
of the Higher Education System, 1997; Department of Education, Education White Paper 4 – A Programme for Transformation
of Further Education and Training, 1998; National Student Financial Aid Scheme Act, 1999, and subsequent amendments;
National Policy on HIV/AIDS, for learners and educators in public schools, and students in Further Education and Training
Institutions (1999); Department of Education, National Plan for Higher Education, 2001; Department of Education, White
Paper 6: Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System, 2001; Department of Education, Report
of the Working Group on Values Education, 2001; Department of Education, Values Manifesto, 2001; Department of Education, Bill
of Responsibilities for the Youth of South Africa, 2008; Department of Higher Education and Training, Higher Education Laws
Amendment, Act 26 of 2010; Department of Higher Education and Training, Adult Education Act (Act 52 of 2000) as amended
by the Higher Education and Training Amendment Act of 2010; Department of Higher Education and Training, Skills
Development Act, 2010; Department of Higher Education and Training, Formal Further Education and Training College
Programmes at levels 2 to 4 on the National Qualification Framework, 2011; Department of Higher Education and Training,
National Skills Development Strategy 111 (2011); Department of Higher Education and Training, the Green Paper for Post-
School Education and Training, 2012; Department of Higher Education and Training, the White Paper on Post-School
Education and Training, 2013; Further Education and Training Colleges Amendment Act, 2012 (Act no.3 of 2012).
Strategic Documents and Reports include the following: Department of Education, The Ministerial Report on the Elimination of
Discrimination and Promotion of Social Cohesion in Higher Education Institutions (Soudien Report, November, 2008); Department of
Higher Education and Training, Council on Higher Education (CHE) Report on student engagement (2010); Department of
Higher Education and Training, National Skills Development Strategy 111; Department of Higher Education and Training,
Human Resource Development Strategy for South Africa (HRD-SA) 2010-2030, (2010); Outcome 5 of Government’s 12
performance outcomes: “A skilled and capable workforce to support an inclusive growth path” (2010); Department of Higher
Education and Training, Report on the Charter of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2011 (HSS Report); Framework for co-operation in
the provision of career development (information, advice and guidance), 2012; Presidency, National Planning Commission, The
National Development Plan, Vision 2030, 2011.
4 See Jansen et al (2007:159-160) Statistical surveys − broad surveys of system monitoring and performance in relation to
standard indicators, such as equity, efficiency and effectiveness, for example, headcount and enrolment studies (Cooper &
Subotzky, 2001); system-wide monitoring studies (Cloete & Bunting, 2000); annual reports on policy initiatives and achievements
(CHE, 2004); national planning accounts and strategies (Department of Education, 2001); and research performance trends
(Mouton, 2003). The most common equity indicators used in most of these studies relate to race and gender participation and
performance. Case studies − site-specific and in-depth studies of typically single institutions, faculties, departments or
programmes (Ensor, 2001; Anderson, 2002; Jansen, 2002) where the subject matter could range from institutional mergers to
deracialization to curriculum restructuring. These studies tend to offer fascinating accounts of one or more institutional sites but,
with few exceptions, lack a broader theorization, which enables these single cases to hold meaning beyond a specific locale.
Historical inquiry − intensive studies of higher education policy or social movements concerned with higher education, for
example, policy evolution (Sehoole, 2005) and student politics (Nkomo, 1984; Badat, 2001). These studies tend to foreground the
role of politics and political movements in shaping and constraining policy options in higher education; their value lies in the
thorough documentation of historical processes and events that continue to shape higher education. Critical events research −
5

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