Corporate governance practices at South African higher education institutions: An annual report disclosure analysis

Abstract

Higher education institutions are presently facing many challenges, ranging from economic and financial constraints to social and educational issues. Accordingly, sound management and governance are essential, and this brings the governance model of HEIs more in line with business corporations. This article provides an overview of the state of governance practices at higher education institutions in South Africa, and an assessment of the corporate governance disclosures in their annual reports. This was done through a literature review of higher education developments, including a South African perspective, supported by empirical evidence obtained from assessing the annual reports of these institutions. The study found that, although most of these institutions are providing disclosure on their corporate governance structures and practices in line with the recommendations of the Higher Education Act and King II, such disclosure is often lacking in detail and could be improved.

Keywords

• corporate governance
• higher education
• higher education institutions
• university councils
• university council committees
• annual report disclosures
• higher education governance