| dc.description.abstract | The apartheid regime in South Africa faced its end in 1994, but its repercussions are still valid
for non-white as well as white South Africans. Almost 50 years of systemised discrimination
of the non-white populations have set human equity and equality back in most spheres of the
public society. The education sector is no exception. Education and higher education in
particular is proclaimed an important mean for sustainable development. Higher education is
assumed to have positive correlations with economic growth, better health, and employment
possibilities. The objectives of my research is to explore the state of human development and
the relationship between higher education and human development indicators at different
spatial levels in South Africa, and reveal any internal differences according to geographic
levels, race, and gender.
The data was gathered during a five-week fieldwork in Pretoria, at the University of Pretoria
(UP), and through desk research at Agder University College. Census data and additional
statistics and information were gathered from Statistics South Africa, online sources and
sources at UP. The conceptual framework of this thesis is based on the prevailing views
among theorists and major development organisations on higher education and its role in
sustainable development. This implies that attention is given to the ends as well as the means
of sustainable development. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis using SPSS are
used as main tools in analysing the data according to the objectives.
This study shows geographical, racial, and gender differences in the state of higher education,
economy, health, and employment in South Africa. It also shows inter-racial differences, and
internal differences among men and women for the different indicators. The correlation
analysis indicated similar patterns for the relationship between higher education and the
human development indicators across the geographical levels. Except for inconclusive results
on the relationship between higher education and health, the analysis indicated that higher
education is positively related to human development. The results highlight the importance of
higher education in development and the need for continued policy emphasis on equity and
equality in South African higher education. | en |
