Addressing the challenges of postgraduate supervision to meet the NDP 2030 targets

Abstract

By 2030 South Africa has set the sites on producing 100 doctorate graduates per one million people. This means an increase from 1420 doctoral degrees from 2010 to 5000 doctoral degrees to 2030. The researcher concerns are on the various challenges experienced by students presently and the impact it is having on their academic, personal and social life and how it impacts on the supervision process negatively. The purpose of this paper is to investigate challenges experienced by postgraduate masters and doctorate students at the university in South Africa. The aim of the paper is state the challenges that postgraduate masters and doctorate students experiences. Objectives of this study to investigate challenges experienced by postgraduate masters and doctorate students at the university in South Africa. This paper was purely a literature survey regarding postgraduate masters and doctorate students’ supervision challenges. The theoretical framework for this study will be on Maslow’s Theory of Hierarchy of Needs. This theory shows that there is a progression which starts from the lower levels and move up as long as the lower level of needs are met. From the fulfilment of physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem and self-actualisation. Higher Education Institutions can play a vital role at the levels of safety, socialisation, esteem and self-actualisation. By providing postgraduate students with the much need support during the studies will enable a larger number of students graduate.

Keywords: Challenges, postgraduate, supervision, NDP and targets