SA merger plans put on ice

South Africa's cabinet has sent plans for widespread mergers between higher education institutes back to the drawing board. It says that although it broadly agrees with the proposals, more information and time for discussion are needed.

The plan was due to be released this week, and dozens of institutions are breathing a - probably temporary - sigh of relief, especially those put forward for merger in a government working group report published earlier this year.

The report suggests that the number of universities and technikons be cut from 36 to 21 through closures and mergers.

The radical post-apartheid restructuring of higher education, proposed last year in education minister Kader Asmal's National Plan for Higher Education and this year's merger report, sparked outcry among academics who felt they were not sufficiently consulted.

Disadvantaged institutions protested that they would largely disappear in proposed mergers while formerly "white" institutions - historically the richest and best - would remain intact.

Muxe Nkondo, vice-chancellor of the University of Venda and spokesman for the Association of South African Historically Disadvantaged Tertiary Institutions, told parliament's education committee that some proposed mergers amounted to "perpetuating Bantu education". The urban-rural and rich-poor divide had not been addressed, he added.

A statement released following the cabinet meeting said that rationalisation needed to be looked at against "the broader transformation agenda" before a final decision was made.

A government spokesman, Joel Net****enzhe, said this included issues of equity and aligning university programmes with government human resource development strategies. After that, there will be three months for the sector and the public to comment.

Professor Asmal put a positive spin on the delay, saying there had been long discussion of his proposals, which differed in a number of ways from those of the working group, headed by businessman Saki Macozoma.

Before the cabinet met, higher education representatives complained to parliament's education committee about the lack of consultation and called for a team to develop "custom-made" restructuring plans. They argued that mergers were not the only way to restructure.

The South African Universities Vice-Chancellors' Association, represented by University of Cape Town vice-chancellor Njabulo Ndebele, told the committee that it was unclear how objectives would be achieved through restructuring.

Haphazard restructuring would exacerbate problems, the association argued. Even where proposals might advance quality, equity, sustainability and productivity, restructuring alone would not achieve these objectives.

"It is clear that focused and meticulous plans, allowing for creative adaptation and developed in partnership between the ministry and institutions, will be needed," Mr Ndebele said.