Conceptualizing Governance Issues in Higher Education: Analyzing Administrative Interventions in South African Universities

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-630-7_10How to use a DOI?

Keywords

governance; under administration; administrative interventions; South African universities

Abstract

This conceptual paper examines governance challenges in South African higher education, with a specific focus on universities placed under administration. Drawing from five South African universities as case studies, the paper investigates issues arising from financial mismanagement, leadership crises, lack of accountability, and operational disruptions, all exacerbated by socio-political and economic factors. Using a qualitative research methodology, the study synthesizes data from existing literature and government reports to identify the root causes of governance failures and to assess the effectiveness of administrative interventions, in which external administrators are appointed to restore stability.

The paper highlights critical gaps in the current research landscape, such as a lack of comprehensive studies on the long-term impact of these interventions and limited comparative analysis between South African and international universities facing similar governance issues. It proposes a theoretical framework for analyzing governance failures and administrative responses, integrating key variables such as financial oversight, leadership stability, accountability, and stakeholder engagement.

The findings provide actionable insights for policymakers, university leaders, and academic staff, emphasizing the need for sustainable governance reforms. By addressing these challenges, the paper aims to contribute to the development of resilient and effective governance structures in South African higher education. Ultimately, it advocates for informed, data-driven administrative interventions and ongoing research to strengthen governance models, enhancing the ability of South African universities to fulfill their educational and societal mandates effectively.

Copyright

© 2024 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Download article (PDF)

TY  - CONF
AU  - Themba M. Mthethwa
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/12/31
TI  - Conceptualizing Governance Issues in Higher Education: Analyzing Administrative Interventions in South African Universities
BT  - Proceedings of the Focus Conference (TFC 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 174
EP  - 194
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-630-7_10
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-630-7_10
ID  - Mthethwa2024
ER  -