1. DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING University of Johannesburg
What issues do we need to address in order to build an adequate cohort of emerging researchers for SA universities?
USAf/ACU Symposium
18 March 2019
University of Johannesburg

2. Background
South Africa aspires towards a transformed higher education system that :
is of high quality in terms of its core mandates of teaching, research and engagement;
is demographically representative;
provides students and staff with good opportunities for access and success;
is welcoming and caring to all;
is diverse, differentiated and articulated;
is relevant and responsive to local (anchored), regional and global contexts;
research productive and drives innovation; and
produces educated, critical, employable and effective citizens and leaders for the future.

3. The Ministerial Task Team on the Recruitment, Retention and Progression of Black Academics in South African Universities
Set up by the Minister of Higher Education and Training in 2017.
Brief is to investigate the blockages that prevent the effective recruitment, retention and progression of South African black academics at universities in the country, to assess the effectiveness of initiatives that have been implemented to address these and to make recommendations to the Minister and the Department on how these blockages can be decisively addressed.
First meeting 12 December 2017, and another 3 held since. The MTT is preparing to conclude its work and to submit a report to the Minister.
This presentation highlights selected observations made by the MTT, as issues that need to be addressed if we are to successfully develop emerging researchers in universities in South Africa, as part of a holistic approach to develop the full academic career pipeline.

4. Throughput from Grade 1 to university, 2008 matric cohort
Observation: An inadequate postgraduate pipeline that has its origins right at the beginning of schooling
Throughput from Grade 1 to university, 2008 matric cohort
(ref. CHE, Briefly Speaking, October 2017 (Figure redrawn from: Spaull (2016), ‘Important research inputs on #FeesMustFall’ )

5. Observation: An inequitable postgraduate demographic profile

6. Observation: An inequitable staff demographic profile
The demographic distribution of permanent instructional/research staff at universities (HEMIS) compared to the demographic distribution of the cohort in the general South African population (Statistics South Africa).

7. Observation: Inequitable qualification profile of academic staff
Stats at a glance…
In 2017 there were:
permanent instructional/ research staff at universities of which or 46% held doctoral degrees.
In terms of gender:
9 322 female staff of which or 40.8% held doctorates.
male staff of which or 51% held doctoral degrees.
In terms of population group distribution:
7 511 African staff of which or 36.2% held doctoral degrees.
1 347 coloured staff of which 525 or 38.9% held doctoral degrees.
1 619 Indian staff of which 700 or 43.3% held doctoral degrees.
8 745 white staff of which or 54.2% held doctoral degrees.
In terms of rank profile:
1 243 junior lecturers or below of which 65 (5.2%) held doctoral degrees.
8 598 lecturers of which (20.5%) held doctoral degrees.
5 050 senior lecturers of which (59.8%) held doctoral degrees.
4 435 professors of which (91.7%) held doctoral degrees.
(HEMIS)

8. Observation: Inequitable rank profile of academic staff
The rank profile of permanent instructional/research staff at universities by population group and gender (2017, HEMIS)

9. Observation: Multiple barriers to research participation
A Study on Building a Cadre of Emerging Scholars for Higher Education in South Africa (DST, 2018)

10. Observation: Research capacity development needs more pronounced at HBUs and UoTs?
Weighted research output per capita (y –axis) vs % of permanent instructional staff with PhDs (x-axis) by university (2016)

11. We need…
A coordinated, coherent, collaborative response – an integrated strategy.
Involving all the universities + all the responsible govt departments + all the supporting entities + partners interested in supporting this area of development –--- joined- up strategy and joined-up resourcing.
Address the entire academic pipeline. NB funding support for the PG entry level (Honours)
Responsive steering mechanisms (funding, policy, planning, quality assurance)
Informed by key principles such as transformation (equity + quality), building a differentiated university system

12. Thank You