An analysis of the governance of higher education access in malawi
| dc.contributor.advisor | Wangenge-Ouma, Gerald | |
| dc.contributor.author | Chivwara, Nita | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2015-03-27T13:28:38Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-05-28T10:54:41Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2015-03-27T13:28:38Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-05-28T10:54:41Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2013-01 | |
| dc.description | Magister Educationis - MEd | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | Over the past few years researchers have been studying access reforms, as well as uncovering challenges related to systems with low participation rates; Examples of this type of work are Teferra and Altbach (2003), Maharasoa (2003) and World Bank (2008). A key factor often addressed are various reforms related to access policies, often merely descriptions of access reforms in general or the status quo of systems are given, particularly those with low participation rates or needing access reforms (Weber, 2005). The relationship between participation rates, access policies and the governance of higher education has however not yet been thoroughly examined. The purpose of this qualitative study is to present the results of an analysis carried out to investigate the research question: Is there a relationship between participation rates, access policies and the governance of higher education access in Malawi? The access-policygovernance theory whose proponents are Tapper (2005), Ball (1990), Bunting et al (2005) and Clark (1983), among others, formed the basis for a proposed framework of evaluating the governance of higher education access in Malawi. The data involved in this study are national educational policies and institutional policy. The second data set are interviews with fourteen personnel who are involved in formulation and implementation of higher education access policies and the governance of higher education, both at a national level in Malawi and institutional level at the University of Malawi. A conclusion is drawn that the policies which were utilised and the governance structure created from them generated the limited nature of access which characterises Malawi’s higher education sector. The policies belonging to the University of Malawi, for example, generated proposed growth in student numbers without drastic changes in the general governance structure of the university. Thus the University of Malawi was unable to maintain the growth that the institutional policies intended. This research is of significance to the domain of governance of access as it extends the knowledge base that currently exists in the field of higher education studies. The concept of linking participation rates, access policies and the governance of higher education is relatively under-researched in this field. It is hoped that this study has added to the understanding of this relationship by addressing the significance | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10566/15578 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.publisher | University of the Western Cape | en_US |
| dc.rights.holder | University of the Western Cape | en_US |
| dc.subject | Higher education access; participation rates; policy; elite system; governance of enrolments; developing countries; Malawi | en_US |
| dc.title | An analysis of the governance of higher education access in malawi | en_US |
| dc.title.alternative | A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION (Higher Education Studies) in the Department of Education, University of the Western Cape | en_US |