A social justice policy framework for funding the acquisition of higher education qualifications in South Africa

  • D. J. Blackmur Independent Higher Education Researcher
Keywords: social justice, public policy, higher education, qualifications, funding, public goods, taxpayer, neoliberal, social grants, Rawls

Abstract

Much of the recent published research on the future contribution of the South African university system to the development of a more just society offers an evaluative framework that contains two principal assertions: firstly, South African under-graduate university students must receive state subsidies from taxpayers; and, secondly, austerity, marketisation, credentialisation, commodification, and related neoliberal conceptions of education and society have hindered efforts to achieve a more just society. This article offers a dissenting analysis that is nevertheless located within a social justice framework. It argues that a student loan system of funding the production of university qualifications is consistent with Rawlsian principles of fairness in the distribution of income and wealth.

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Author Biography

D. J. Blackmur, Independent Higher Education Researcher

Independent Higher Education Researcher

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Published
2023-11-25
How to Cite
Blackmur, D. J. 2023. “A Social Justice Policy Framework for Funding the Acquisition of Higher Education Qualifications in South Africa”. South African Journal of Higher Education 37 (6), 41-55. https://doi.org/10.20853/37-6-6112.