Dual Higher Education Project (DHEP)
The DHEP – as a directive of CHEC – has been launched to explore the applicability of a dual higher education (DHE) model in South African higher education by initiating innovative and collaborative partnerships between universities and industry. This pioneering project aims to conduct pilot work on and ultimately develop DHE as a specific curricular model for the delivery of academic programmes by all universities – including traditional, comprehensive and universities of technology.
Funded by the National Department of Higher Education's (DHET) University Capacity Development Grant (UCDG), the outcomes of the project are three-fold:
- Contribute to the University Capacity Development Programme's (UCDP) goal of transforming university curricula in South Africa to be more responsive to the contextual challenges graduates face when it comes to employment opportunities and workplace success.
- Provide a more coherent approach to workplace-based learning (WPBL) and contribute to the WP-PSET's key policy goal of improving relationships between education and training and the world of work.
- Support the goals and outcomes of the National Skills Development Plan 2030 with an emphasis on empowering education and training institutions to develop appropriate interventions (in collaboration with industry) to address the demands of the future labour market and skills development.
The DHEP consists of six main features, namely: research; development of DHE models; policy restructuring; capacity development; pilot implementation; and cross-cutting evaluation.
Mellon Project
Seminar series and associated activities on the theme of Decolonising the University
Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
In June 2020, the Andrew W Mellon Foundation approved a no-cost extension for the CHEC collaborative project on Decolonising the University. During the course of the following year, the Advisory Board, chaired by Dr Sharman Wickham of CHEC, was joined by additional institutional representatives to coordinate the project activities.
Why is a project on decoloniality important?
A key role for higher education institutions everywhere is the generation of new knowledge. In the South African context, emphasis has been given to "the advancement of all forms of knowledge and scholarship" to address the diverse problems and demands of the local, national, southern African and African contexts.
The concept of "decolonisation" is aligned with many others highlighted in national and institutional policy documents – "equity", "redress", "diversity", "social justice" – and commitments to the establishment of a democratic ethos and a culture of human rights.
How will the project achieve its aims?
The project involves the following activities:
- Data collection in the four CHEC universities – from policy to practice
- The development of institutional profiles, including databases of projects
- The establishment of communities of practice within and across our universities
- Self-evaluation of initiatives – lessons learned to date
- Four seminars (one at each university)
- Papers and publications – national and international
- Development of a research-based resource
For more information, contact Dr Sharman Wickham at Sharman@chec.ac.za