governing teacher education colleges in south africa

GOVERNING TEACHER EDUCATION COLLEGES IN SOUTH
AFRICA: THE CASE OF THE GAUTENG PROVINCE 1
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The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate for the stormy present. The occasion is piled
high with difficulty and we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthral ourselves,
and then we shall save our country (Lincoln).
M Cross
Department of Education
University of the Witwatersrand
Private Bag 3
Wits 2050
Tel: (011) 716 5293
Fax: (011) 339 3956
E-Mail: 022cross@mentor.edcm.wits.ac.za
1. Introduction
Governance of higher education is increasingly becoming one of the most
provocative areas of inquiry in the field of educational policy. How institutions of
higher education are governed, the structures and processes of decision-making and
the distribution of power within and outside the institutions, have captured the
interest of politicians, political scientists, sociologists, organisation theorists, and
education practitioners. Out of this interest, a body of literature, rich in theory and
description and extensive in the variety of topics and issues addressed, has
emerged. There are however some limitations concerning this body of literature.
First, most of this literature tends to privilege the universities and other institutions of
higher education. The college sub-sector generally remains under researched.
Second, the few items dealing with college governance tend to neglect teacher
education colleges. They focus on community colleges or further education colleges.
This study deals with the restructuring of governance of teacher education colleges
in the Gauteng Province in South Africa. Although it draws on the relevant national
and international literature, the main thrust of this study is in that it analytically
privileges practitioners’ discourses of governance which inform their current
interpretations of governance policy and underpin their practices.
The study has three main dimensions. First, it scrutinises main governance
discourses among the college leadership with focus on how college administrators
(rectors, vice-rectors and heads of departments) understand the nature, purpose and
styles of governance in teacher education. Second, it examines the emerging
1 I would like to thank the Association of African Universities whose funding made this study
possible.
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