The Development, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation of a Quality Assurance System Supporting Continuous Improvement of Higher Education in the Eastern Cape Technikon
The Development, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation of a Quality Assurance System Supporting Continuous Improvement of Higher Education in the Eastern Cape Technikon
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
1. Introduction
Eastern Cape Technikon (ECT) was established in 1987 as University of Transkei Technikon, known as UNITRA Technikon. ECT is situated in Butterworth in the old Transkei region and draws its clients predominantly from the mostly rural Eastern Cape Province. ECT is characterised as one of the 13 historically disadvantaged institutions (HDI). Due to expansion and growth, ECT became independent of UNITRA (University of Transkei) and was renamed Transkei Technikon in 1991. On 20 April 1994 Eastern Cape Technikon became autonomous in terms of a Transkei Government decree No.3 (Technikons) of 1994. In 1993, ECT had further expanded by opening an extension campus (hereafter refereed to as Satellite Campus) in Umtata, followed by another satellite in Queenstown in 1994 and another in East London in 1996. Because of this tremendous and rather very fast growth, it changed its name once again to the current name, Eastern Cape Technikon.
Eastern Cape Technikon is a rural higher education institution located in the former economic active town of Butterworth. In the period prior to 1986 industrial activities in Butterworth had acted as the growth nerve for the suburban and township residential areas, thereby becoming the center of economic activity in the then Transkei. With the withdrawal of incentives to industries for rural locations, currently Butterworth has no industries to employ its poor communities especially the surrounding residential locations born out of the pre-1994 industrial boom. The Technikon is surrounded by rural communities which are dependant, wholesale, on subsistence economy or labour migration to the other cities and provinces of South Africa.
The Eastern Cape Technikon concentrates its main activities in the
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
1. Introduction
Eastern Cape Technikon (ECT) was established in 1987 as University of Transkei Technikon, known as UNITRA Technikon. ECT is situated in Butterworth in the old Transkei region and draws its clients predominantly from the mostly rural Eastern Cape Province. ECT is characterised as one of the 13 historically disadvantaged institutions (HDI). Due to expansion and growth, ECT became independent of UNITRA (University of Transkei) and was renamed Transkei Technikon in 1991. On 20 April 1994 Eastern Cape Technikon became autonomous in terms of a Transkei Government decree No.3 (Technikons) of 1994. In 1993, ECT had further expanded by opening an extension campus (hereafter refereed to as Satellite Campus) in Umtata, followed by another satellite in Queenstown in 1994 and another in East London in 1996. Because of this tremendous and rather very fast growth, it changed its name once again to the current name, Eastern Cape Technikon.
Eastern Cape Technikon is a rural higher education institution located in the former economic active town of Butterworth. In the period prior to 1986 industrial activities in Butterworth had acted as the growth nerve for the suburban and township residential areas, thereby becoming the center of economic activity in the then Transkei. With the withdrawal of incentives to industries for rural locations, currently Butterworth has no industries to employ its poor communities especially the surrounding residential locations born out of the pre-1994 industrial boom. The Technikon is surrounded by rural communities which are dependant, wholesale, on subsistence economy or labour migration to the other cities and provinces of South Africa.
The Eastern Cape Technikon concentrates its main activities in the