The interface between further and higher education in South Africa: Factors affecting the higher education sector's capacity to meet national needs

This paper, written from the perspective of higher education, aims to identify, contextualize and offer discussion on key issues at the interface between secondary/ further and higher education that have a significant bearing on effectiveness and equity in South African higher education. It provides: (a) a brief account of relevant aspects of the policy environment; (b) an account of performance and issues in the school sector that particularly affect articulation, concluding that it is not realistic to depend on improvements in schooling to solve higher education's progression problems; (c) an overview of current undergraduate performance patterns intended to highlight the significance of systemic problems, particularly articulation, and arguing that promoting equity of access and outcomes is an essential condition for meeting national needs for high-level skills; and (d) an outline of key developmental initiatives that can significantly improve articulation and higher education performance. A central theme of the paper is that successful articulation requires commitment to enhancing the educational process in higher education as well as in schools - particularly in relation to student selection and accommodating diversity in the curriculum - as a key part of the sector's contribution