Transformation of nursing colleges in Gauteng

M.Cur.Following the democratic elections that took place in 1994, South Africa is undergoing transformation. This transformation was initiated by the external and internal driving forces, of which, the political forces are the most significant. This political transformation led to the promulgation of the Constitution of the country, which impacted on the transformation of the health system, to ensure accessibility and equity. The promulgation of the Constitution was followed by many legislative and policy changes, such as a new Higher Education Act. The South African transition from apartheid to democracy, necessitated that all the existing policies, institutions and practices should be transformed and revised, according to the demands of the new era. With the new political dispensation of the country, many regional, national and local policies have changed. These changes have had an inevitable impact on higher education, which in turn impacts on nursing education. The change in the higher education system required the restructuring and rationalisation of nursing colleges in all the provinces. The need for the transformation of nursing colleges is unavoidable because of the development of the new legislation to readdress the imbalances of the past. Following the new political dispensation, it was however necessary to transform these nursing colleges through rationalisation/integration. The focus of this study is on the transformation of nursing colleges in Gauteng, which poses many challenges to the directors in terms of the management of transformation. The transformation process impacts directly on the directors of nursing colleges. This study is based on the transformation management of selected nursing colleges in Gauteng. The study is conducted in two phases. Phase one explores and describes the experiences and perceptions of directors regarding the transformation of nursing colleges in Gauteng. Phase two describes the formulation of transformation management standards which consists of two phases of standards formulation, namely, the development phase and the quantifying phase