DE LA FISCALÍA GENERAL DEL ESTADO DE OAXACA

PMA courses were offered at the University of Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth Technikon and at Vista University prior to the merger. Tables 2.6 and 2.7 show the PMA courses offered at institutions prior to the merger:

Institution Course

Vista University  BA (Major in Public Administration)  Bachelors in Administration

(BAdmin)

 Honours in Public Administration  MA in Public Administration by

dissertation

University of Port Elizabeth  BA (Major in Public Administration)  Bachelors in Administration

(BAdmin)

 Honours in Public Administration  Masters in Public Administration  D Phil in Public Administration Port Elizabeth Technikon  Diploma in Public Management

 Bachelor of Technology in Public Management  Master of Technology in Public Management  Doctor of Technology in Public Management.

Table 2.6 PM and PA courses pre-merger

Public Administration   BA (Major in Public Administration)

 Bachelors in Administration (BAdmin)  Honours in in Public Administration

 MA by dissertation in Public Administration

 Masters in Public Administration (MPA: coursework and treatise)

 D Phil in Public Administration Public Management   Diploma in Public Management

 Bachelor of Technology in Public Management  Masters in Public Administration (MPA:coursework & treatise)12  D Phil in Public Management

Table 2.7 PM and PA courses post merger

As seen in the discussion in Section 2.4.2, PM seems to have a skills-based approach and PA a skills based approach with some conceptual theory. The distinction could have ramifications for the type of knowledge being provided at the diploma and degree levels for students.

This thesis’s concern with the PMA courses is based on the ongoing debates about the nature of its curriculum, the implications of this for articulation between degree and diploma courses and for student inclusion and the perceived importance of the field in SA.

Kroukamp (2011: 20-21) places emphasis on the importance of PMA for the young SA democracy:

An efficient public service is vital to a well-functioning country that maximises its developmental potential and the welfare of its citizens. The public service should play a particularly important role in developing countries, striving to extend services and reduce inequalities, and demonstrating to citizens that their society is capable of organising itself in an efficient way. In South Africa the public service is unfortunately rapidly gaining a reputation of inefficiency, corruption and incompetence as governmental institutions routinely receive qualified audits thereby undermining, rather than maximising, the developmental potential of the country.

12

Articulation has been achieved on postgraduate level with the Bachelor of Technology in Public Management articulating to the MPA and DPhil.

Kroukamp (2011) looks to the field of education and training to assist in building these capacities and argues HE should assess the nature of teaching and learning activities to ensure a more efficient and responsive public service. This speaks to the focus of this study of the kind of knowledge being privileged in the first-year curriculum and if its practices include or exclude students from meaningful participation in the academy and external world.

Research into PMA in SA concern themselves with narratives of decline and dysfunctionality in public policy implementation, historical legacies as they impact on the public sector and the lack of research in the field (Chipkin and Meny-Gibert, 2012; Mubangizi and Theron, 2011; van Rooyen, 2013,) and mechanisms to ameliorate these (Chipkin and Meny-Gibert, 2012; Nzimakwe, 2011; Raga, Taylor and Albrecht, 2011; Schurink, 2010; Schurink and Auriacombe, 2010; van Rooyen 2013). Research is also concerned with the nature of the curriculum, whether it privileges skills or theory and current philosophical focus areas, for example, citizen value and public leadership as current dominant themes in SA (Kroukamp, 2011; Masemurule, 2005; Mubangizi and Theron, 2011; van Dijk and Thornhill, 2011). A further concern is whether the curriculum is technocratic, emphasising processes or democratic, emphasising development theory or social policy (Mubangizi and Theron, 2011). In their study of five universities, Mubangizi and Theron (2011) find the PMA curricula to be mainly technocratic. It should be noted that it is not clear in the methodology how they arrived at this conclusion and how the principles of the curriculum were analysed. Their findings do imply, however, that students are being excluded from knowledge they need to function effectively in their field.

As discussed, PMA scholars assume that a shift in focus would lead to a more theoretical conceptualisation but what may be missing is a closer examination of how the knowledge in the curriculum currently builds and progresses in its quest towards a more theoretical abstraction and what underlying generative principles it follows. These concerns are attended to in this thesis and the theoretical framework for examining knowledge structures is discussed in depth in Chapter Three.

The new privatisation discourse that pervades the philosophical intents of the field, (Collyer, 2003), means that corporate models are being used to ensure a more efficient public service. If this discourse is evident in the curricula, it could mean that other more intellectual pursuits of knowledge building in fields may be relinquished.

This is just one example of the kinds of issues that the literature on PMA qualifications raises and which this study on the knowledge structure of current programmes intends to interrogate.

The PMA courses at NMMU are still offered on the same campuses that they were prior to the merger with the course curricula structured differently. The Diploma courses are offered on a campus that continues to offer technikon-type diplomas while the Degree courses are offered two kilometres away on the ex-UPE campus. This might have implications for the extent to which curriculation is a collaborative affair.

The divides between the courses are not only physical but extend to curricula as well. Different admission criteria exist for the Diploma in Public Management and the Bachelor of Administration (BAdmin). This partly reflects the nationally set admission requirements for diploma and degree study (HEQSF, 2013). The National Diploma, which is on NQF Level 5 (the level for diplomas stipulated on the NQF) and with a total NQF credit of 360, has the following admissions criteria:

Admissions point score of 2713 and in school subjects:

 A minimum of 40 to 49% in English, Afrikaans or isiXhosa14

 40 to 49% for Mathematical Literacy15 _{or 30-39% for Mathematics} core16

 Scores between 22 and 26 points are allowed to write an Access Assessment Test (English, Numeracy and Mathematics test at NMMU) and

 in addition, all prospective diploma students write an English Proficiency Assessment Test. If they obtain 50% or more, they do Communication in English A (a professional English for the workplace course) and if they obtain less than 50%, they do Communication in English B (Arts Prospectus, 2013).

The BAdmin, which is on NQF Level 6 (the level for three year degrees stipulated on the NQF) and, like the degree programmes, has a total NQF credit of 360 has the following admissions criteria:

Admissions point score of 32 and in school subjects:

13 _{Each undergraduate student applying to NMMU requires a particular admissions point score for} different courses

14 _{isiXhosa is an official SA language.}

15 _{A school subject that uses basic Mathematics to solve everyday problems.} 16 _{A school subject focused on mathematical problem solving and reasoning}

 a minimum of 40 to 49% in English, Afrikaans or isiXhosa;

 50 to 59% for Mathematical Literacy or 30-39% for Mathematics core and

 scores of between 22 and 31 points are allowed to write an Access Assessment Test (Arts Prospectus, 2013).

The curricula for the two programmes also differ markedly. While the Diploma comprises only of compulsory modules the Degree allows for more choice as it has one compulsory module per semester and a choice of major from nine different disciplines.

The compulsory modules for the first-year of the Diploma in Public Management, which will be the subject of this study are:

 Public Resource Management I (PRM 1111),  Public Service Delivery I (PSD 1111),

 Self-Management I (PSM 1111),

 Public Decision-Making I (PDM 11120, and

 Public Office Management (PQM 1112) (Arts Prospectus, 2013).

Public Information Services I (PIS 1111) and Public Information Practices II (PIP 2112) are further compulsory modules but as they are computer literacy courses and are not offered by lecturers in the department, they will not be the subject of this study.

The compulsory modules for the year Degree in Public Administration, which are the subject of this study are:

 Ethos of Public Administration (SPA 101),

 Constitutional Framework for Public Administration (SPA 102),  Regional, Metropolitan and Local Administration (SPA 103) and  Administration for Development (SPA 104) (Arts Prospectus, 2013). Furthermore, BAdmin students can choose any major from the following disciplines: English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa, French, Industrial Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, Business Management, Political Studies and Public Management.

Fundamental modules (of 12 credits) are English Language Studies/Practical English/Professional English and computer literacy modules/End user computing (Arts Prospectus, 2013). Recommended electives are isiXhosa for beginners, Understanding Cultural Diversity, Anthropology, History, Economics, Economic History, Labour Law and Accounting (Arts Prospectus, 2013). These student elective courses will not be the subject of this study.

Such structural distinctions between the two programmes are carefully scrutinised in the discussion chapter of this study. For now, suffice to say that even though articulation has been addressed at the postgraduate level with the BTech articulating to the MPA and DPhil, they have not been addressed as per the NPHE at the undergraduate levels. The Diploma and Degree programmes have different entry requirements and NQF levels. The Diploma can progress to a Bachelor of Technology Degree and the BAdmin Degree can progress to a BA Honours: Public Administration. Both Bachelor of Technology and BA Honours are currently at NQF level 7 but the HEQSF places the exit level for diplomas at 6 and for degrees at 7, with Honours at level 8. The NQF credits for the Bachelor of Technology at NMMU is 120 whereas there are 130 for BA Honours: Public Administration. The HEQSF is also silent on the remaining existence of the BTech Degree. On the face of it, the binaries remain along vocational and traditional lines in terms of the nature of their curricula knowledge with no articulation possibilities, diagonally, horizontally and vertically between the diploma and degree as envisaged by the NPHE.

This discussion on the PA field and the specific study context of NMMU and PMA programmes now leads to me to a discussion of disciplinary and curricula knowledge. The classification of disciplinary and curricula knowledge also needs contextualisation in a study concerned with knowledge.