Technikon

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A technikon was a post-secondary institute of technology (polytech) in South Africa. It focused on career-oriented vocational training.[1][2] There were 15 technikons in the 1990s, but they were merged or restructured as universities (especially universities of technology) in the early 2000s.

Etymology

The word comes from the Greek technikon, meaning ‘technical’.[3][4] (cf. Some technical schools were called technikums elsewhere in the world.)

List of technikons

The right arrow → indicates the year it became a technikon, if started out as another type of school.

Institute Existence Now
Border Technikon
← Ciskei Technikon, 1980s		 1987[1]–2005 Walter Sisulu University
Cape Technikon
Afrikaans
: Kaapse Technikon		 1920–2005
→ technikon, 1979		 Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Eastern Cape Technikon
← Transkei Technikon		 1991[1]–2005 Walter Sisulu University
Peninsula Technikon 1962-2005
→ technikon, 1979[1]		 Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Port Elizabeth Technikon
(PE Technikon)		 1882–2005
→ technikon, 1979
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
Technikon Pretoria 1968–2004
→ technikon, 1979		 Tshwane University of Technology
Technikon Natal 1907–2002
→ technikon, 1979
Durban Institute of Technology
Technikon North-West
← Setlogelo Technikon, 1994–97		 1976–2004
→ technikon, 1994		 Tshwane University of Technology
Technikon Northern Gauteng
← Technikon Northern Transvaal, –1997		 1980[1]–2004 Tshwane University of Technology
Technikon SA
(Technikon South Africa)
← Technikon RSA, 1980–93		 1980[5]–2004 University of South Africa
Technikon Free State
Technikon Vrystaat, 1994-2004
← Technikon OFS / OVS, 1988-1994		 1988?–2004
Central University of Technology
ML Sultan Technikon 1946–2002
→ technikon, 1979
Durban Institute of Technology
Mangosuthu Technikon 1979[1]–2001 Mangosuthu University of Technology
Vaal Triangle Technikon
Vaaldriehoekse Technikon		 1966–2003
→ technikon, 1979		 Vaal University of Technology
Witwatersrand Technikon
 1923–2005
→ technikon, 1979		 University of Johannesburg

In some sources, certain school names were reversed, e.g., Technikon Pretoria or Pretoria Technikon. Likewise, Witwatersrand Technikon or Technikon Witwatersrand; Natal Technikon or Technikon Natal; Free State Technikon or Technikon Free State.

History

Some technical colleges were founded in the early to mid-20th century in the country. In 1967, four technical colleges (Cape, Pretoria, Witwatersrand and Natal) became "colleges of advanced technical education". Two more such colleges (Vaal and Witwatersrand) were added by 1969. These six colleges became the first technikons in 1979.[6]

In the 1980s and 1990s, 9 more technikons were constituted,[6] bringing up the total to 15.

Compared to universities, technikons were not seen as prestigious. The Committee of Technikon Principals felt that "the name technikon had become a stumbling block", as their graduates were not recognized by professional associations, especially internationally.[7]

Tshwane University of Technology combined 3 technikons.

Mergers and reorganisations were announced in 2002, drastically reducing the number of technikons.[8] By 2006, after a process to transform the nation’s "higher education landscape", there were no technikons left.

Student compositions

During Apartheid, the schools were divided into historically white technikons (HWTs) and historically black technikons (HBTs). The seven white technikons include the 'big four' (Cape, Pretoria, Witwatersrand and Natal), which had the most students (6000–11000 in 1991). The other white technikons were Free State, Port Elizabeth, and Vaal Triangle. SA was for

distance learning, with a slight majority of whites.[9][5]

Northern Gauteng and Mangosuthu were black technikons. Peninsula was classified as a HBT, but it was mostly attended by

Coloureds
. ML Sultan was also nominally a HBT, but was mostly attended by
Indians.[9]

Three technikons were created in bantustans; these had the lowest enrollments: Border (Ciskei), Eastern Cape (Transkei), and North-West (initially named Setlogelo; in Bophuthatswana).[9]

Degrees

In 1993, the Technikon Act (No. 125) enabled technikons to provide degree studies and confer degrees. Several technikon programmes were possible:

  • national higher certificate (2 years)
  • national diploma (3 years): 75% of technikon enrollments were in this diploma.[6]
    • 2 years of theoretical training, plus
    • 1 year of experiential training with an industrial employer[1]
  • national higher diploma (4 years)
  • bachelor’s degree in technology (B-Tech: 4 years)
  • in some schools: master’s degree (M-Tech: 1 year minimum)
  • in some schools: doctoral degree (D-Tech: 2 years minimum).[10]

White technikons and ML Sultan Technikon offered degrees at all three levels (bachelor’s, master’s and doctorates), but others did not.[1]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-0-89789-713-6
    .
  2. ISBN 978-1-4020-4005-4
    . The intellectual agendas of these […] black technikons was similar to those of the historically white technikons. […] vocational training programmes […] They undertook no research and offered little by way of postgraduate training.
  3. ISBN 978-0-620-13170-4
    . After due consideration and consultation the name technikon was proposed, a name which was derived from the Greek and goes back to the masculine form of the Greek adjective technikos, of which the feminine form is technike ...
  4. neuter
    of tekhnikos 'relating to skills'.
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-1-134-64144-4
    . Technikon SA was established an autonomous tertiary education institution in 1980, prior to which it had functioned as the external studies facilities of the Technikon Witwatersrand.
  6. ^
    ISBN 978-1-135-85822-3
    .
  7. ISBN 978-1-4020-5281-1
    . Among the problems listed [by the principals] were that technikons were seen as inferior to universities, [… recognition issues], and that technikons were seen as a second or third choice after universities.
  8. ISBN 978-1-135-85822-3
    . The restructured system [announced in Dec. 2002] would consist of twenty-four institutions, consisting of eleven universities, six comprehensive universities, five technikons, and two higher education institutes in provinces without a higher education institution (Council on Higher Education 2004: 39–58).
  9. ^ a b c Cooper, Dave (1994). "What do South African technikons do?" (PDF).
  10. ISBN 978-92-64-05352-6
    .

The years for some older school names are from:

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