Higher education quality assurance in South Africa: accreditation in perspective - Amanda Gouws, Yusef Waghid

This editorial attempts to capture some of the most salient deliberations which transpired at a symposium on higher education quality assurance (QA) in South Africa. It also raises the question of whether the discourse can potentially widen democracy or not. We contend that, on the basis of our analyses of the various disparate contributions, the QA can potentially extend the boundaries of democratic engagement on condition that notions of freedom, autonomy, accountability, citizenship and social justice are framed according to constitutive aspects of deliberative democracy. In other words, on the basis of deliberation and contestation amongst the different people involved in QA, the promise of widening democracy can be realised.
From: SAJHE 20 (6), pp. 751-761