Universities may take minister to court over autonomy

By Cornia Pretorius. South African universities could tackle Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande in the Constitutional Court next year following radical changes to the Higher Education Act that were steamrolled through parliament.
The Higher Education and Training Laws Amendment Bill has been described as "apartheid-like" and "draconian" for the wide-ranging powers it will give Nzimande to intervene in the running of universities – the one part of the South African education system that is still functioning well.
If enacted it will give Nzimande the power to issue ‘directives’ to universities if he believed they were acting in a discriminatory manner.
This means he could tell a world-class institution such as the University of Cape Town to change its entry requirements and dissolve its council if it does not convince him of the merits of its requirements, according to experts. Read more...