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Overarching theme
There is a pressing need to design the South African higher education system
to focus unequivocally on student success and equity of outcomes
•
to ensure that higher education makes its full contribution to social and
economic advancement and to achieving social cohesion
(Pandor 2005)
Key implications to be addressed:
•
The current HE educational system is not designed for this unequivocal focus
•
The constant and awkward need to specify which major function of the HE
system is under discussion (education, research or social engagement)
indicates a key, and inescapable, element of the challenge we are addressing
•
‘Equity and development’ can no longer be dichotomised
(Wolpe et al. 1993)
- both depend on developing the talent in all our communities, and
- neither can be achieved without the other
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