Beyond counting the numbers: Shifting higher education transformation into curriculum spaces

Ramrathan, Labby

doi:10.4102/the.v1i1.6

Cited by 39 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Recurrent themes have focused on gender and economic opportunities, social class, race and level of education. For instance, studies from Southern Africa have linked poverty to reported risky sexual behaviours (Wamoyi et al, 2014;Shisana et al, 2009;Madise et al, 2007) such as casual sex (Tadesse & Yakob, 2015;Lyons et al 2015) and transactional sex (Ranganathan et al, 2016;Udingwe et al, 2014). Thus, in the case of transactional sex, the need to survive becomes the motivation behind the sexual activity of adolescent girls.…”

Section: Predictors Of Sexual Behaviours and Educational Attainmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Association Between Sexual Behaviours and Initiation of Post-Secondary Education in South Africa

2018

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Although young people in South Africa are growing up in an era where their socioeconomic circumstances are seemingly better than those of their parents' generation, they face greater risks in their trajectory to adulthood. This is mainly because the environment in which they are making sexual decisions is also rapidly evolving. Currently, South Africa has the highest prevalence of HIV and AIDS in the world among young people aged 15-24. This study examined the effect of sexual behaviours initiated in adolescence on enrolment in post-secondary education. The analysis was conducted using data from the longitudinal Cape Area Panel Study (CAPS, Waves 1-5) conducted in 2002-2009, which focused on young people's sexual behaviours in Cape Town, South Africa. The sample was restricted to 3213 individuals who reported sexual debut during adolescence. Using logistic regression models fitted separately for males and females, the results revealed that several factors acted as either hindrances or protective factors to enrolment in post-secondary education. Early sexual debut (by age 17) was negatively associated with participation in tertiary education. Other variables that had a negative effect included not using contraception at first sex, parenthood, engaging in risky behaviours such as illegal substance use, cigarette smoking and drinking alcohol and neglect of school homework (doing less than an hour a day). Higher levels of parental education (except for paternal education in the female model), urban residence and higher aspirations and analogous behaviours (studying) acted as protective factors and were positively associated with post-secondary education initiation. The paper also points to the relationship between early sexual debut and persistent socioeconomic inequality and provides empirical evidence for re-thinking policy development and implementation around schooling and sex education.

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Section: Predictors Of Sexual Behaviours and Educational Attainmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Association Between Sexual Behaviours and Initiation of Post-Secondary Education in South Africa

2018

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“…Many policy changes underpinned by these imperatives were consequently implemented since 1994, thus ensuring that university enrolment of students from previously disadvantaged population groups substantially increased, as did enrolment figures in general (Badat 2007). However, the transformation agenda has, to date, been largely limited to improved institutional access and number counting (Ramrathan 2016), as well as the implementation of a variety of foundational programmes. Of particular concern however, is the fact that while university participation rates have increased, university completion rates remain untenably low, especially with regard to students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds (Council on Higher Education 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Addressing curriculum decolonisation and education for sustainable development through epistemically diverse curricula

Padayachee

Matimolane²,

Ganas³

2018

SAJHE

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Transformation in Higher Education has been an ongoing concern in post-apartheid South Africa, especially in light of universities' expected contribution to economic and socio-political transformation. In particular, curriculum transformation has proved challenging, as evidenced in actions and calls by students in recent years for decolonisation of the curriculum. This study, which formed part of an institutional response to the challenge of curriculum transformation and decolonisation, initially sought to examine perceptions of the term "decolonisation" amongst a group of early career lecturers at a leading university in South Africa. Highlighted in the outcomes of the study was the centrality of personal and contextual relevance in notions of decolonised curricula, the impact of curriculum conversations on lecturers' well-being, and the broader implications of responsive and relevant curricula for institutional and societal well-being. In this respect, the findings of the study illustrated the similarities of curriculum decolonisation approaches and the concept of education for sustainable development which is underpinned by the goal of global well-being and the common good. Also highlighted was the need for greater balance between Mode 1 (theoretical) and Mode 2 (contextually relevant) knowledge in curricula, leading us to posit that both curriculum decolonisation and education for sustainable development are equally necessary for institutional and broader societal reform and well-being, and that both imperatives may potentially be achieved by focusing on the principles of epistemically diverse curricula.

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“…These three universities amongst other things see transformation in the light of numbers; UCT's four key indicators of transformation have three focuses: on numbers and diversity which in effect caters for the same thing because racial diversity can only be effectively expressed in numbers. Ramrathan (2016) argues that higher education transformation in South Africa has primarily focused on the domain of counting numbers and this stems from the transformation agenda for higher education, which set several goals that were mostly numerical changes. Although universities have been taking steps to address these numerical imbalances (as seen from their understanding of transformation), problems of throughput, dropout and academic support remain.…”

Section: Why Has There Been Little or No Transformation?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Decolonising the future in the untransformed present in South African higher education

Fomunyam

2017

PiE

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Beyond counting the numbers: Shifting higher education transformation into curriculum spaces

Cited by 39 publications

References 11 publications

The Association Between Sexual Behaviours and Initiation of Post-Secondary Education in South Africa

The Association Between Sexual Behaviours and Initiation of Post-Secondary Education in South Africa

Addressing curriculum decolonisation and education for sustainable development through epistemically diverse curricula

Decolonising the future in the untransformed present in South African higher education

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