The Development of Private Higher Education. Whose Interest Does It Serve?

Higher education in South Africa has seen a slow but steady growth in the establishment of private higher education institutions, since 2000. Legislation has been enacted to ensure that the private higher sector is well regulated. The quality of programmes and institutions is assured by a statutory Quality Council, the Council on Higher Education. Programmes lead to qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework, the maintenance of which is the responsibility of the South African Qualifications Authority. One the of the most visible gains has been in the area of eliminating fly-by-night and dubious private colleges. The need for filling the gap for education and training as espoused in the White Paper for Post-School Education and Training is paramount is critical.

In a society that is riddled with inequalities and where public universities are seen to serve the needs of the working class, middle class and upper class and where public universities have reached their maximum capacity, private higher education institutions are seen to serve a complementary and supplementary role to the public university sector. Private institutions are not state funded and rely on shareholder capital, student fees and other revenue. Often, they offer a range of diverse programmes in a range of disciplines. Most private institutions are Diploma and Degree awarding institutions.

The provision of private education allows a range of stakeholders to advance particular interests. The focus of this paper is to highlight the interests served from the shareholders to students and establish the kind of role played by private higher education institutions within the broader context of higher education and post-school education and training.