Engineering Education at South Africa's Technikons

This article describes engineering education at the technikons of post-apartheid South Africa. The history of technikons is explained; and comparisons are drawn between technical colleges, technikons, and universities in the context of contemporary South African tertiary education. Some challenges facing technikons are discussed, including the need to adapt to the country's rapidly and radically changing educational environment; technikons' recent mandate to award undergraduate and graduate degrees, with the attendant concentrations on research; and the need for technikon educators to seek higher qualifications.