Two prized professors from Stellenbosch University's (SU) Faculty of Education have been appointed to the Council of Higher Education (CHE).
The Minister of Higher Education and Training, Naledi Pandor recently appointed Prof Lesley le Grange and Prof Yusef Waghid as members of the CHE. Both are Distinguished Professors in the Faculty of Education at Stellenbosch University and say they are honoured to be part of CHE.
According to Profs Waghid and Le Grange, the Faculty of Education should feel honoured to have a former dean and internationally acclaimed scholar serving the interests of higher education at a national level.
“All members of the CHE are not from the university sector. The 13 members of the CHE appointed by the Minister of Higher Education represent different stakeholder groups, therefore to have two members appointed from one university and from the same faculty is a feather in the cap of both Stellenbosch University and its Faculty of Education," says Le Grange.
The CHE is an independent statutory body established in May 1998 in terms of the Higher Education Act, 1997 (Act 101 of 1997) and it functions as the Quality Council for Higher Education in terms of the National Qualifications Framework Act, 2008 (Act 67 of 2008) in South Africa. One of the main functions of the council is to contribute to the development of higher education through intellectual engagement with key national and systemic issues, including international trends.
Various role-players in higher education, national research councils and relevant non-governmental organisations usually nominate the council members. The minister then selects and appoints council members based on their knowledge and understanding of higher education; understanding of the role of higher education in reconstruction and development and their known and attested commitment to the interests of higher education.
As new council members, Le Grange and Waghid will help advice the Minister of Higher Education and Training on all aspects of higher education policy and conduct research to inform and contribute to addressing the short and long-term challenges facing higher education.
“I am proud to be associated with the CHE and trust that I can contribute to advancing the discourse of higher education in relation to quality, pedagogy (research, teaching and learning) and policy issues," says Waghid.
“I am pleased to be of service to the higher education sector in this new capacity particularly at a time when the sector is presented with both opportunities and challenges related to the funding of higher education, graduate employment, the fourth industrial revolution and the decolonisation debates," says Le Grange.
Both Le Grange and Waghid are recipients of multiple awards including the SU Chancellor's award, and are rated as internationally acclaimed researchers by the National Research Foundation.
*For more information on the Council of Higher Education, click here.
