A technikon was a post-secondary institute of technology (polytech) in South Africa. It focused on career-oriented vocational training. There were 15 technikons in the 1990s, but they were merged or restructured as universities (especially universities of technology) in the early 2000s.
Etymology The word comes from the Greek , meaning 'technical'. (cf. Some technical schools were called technikums elsewhere in the world.)
List of technikons
Institute Existence Now Border Technikon Ciskei Technikon, 1980s 1987–2005 Walter Sisulu University Cape Technikon 1920–2005 Cape Peninsula University of Technology Eastern Cape Technikon ← Transkei Technikon 1991–2005 Walter Sisulu University Peninsula Technikon 1962-2005 Cape Peninsula University of Technology Port Elizabeth Technikon (PE Technikon) 1882–2005 Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Technikon Pretoria 1968–2004 Tshwane University of Technology Technikon Natal 1907–2002 Durban Institute of Technology Technikon North-West ← Setlogelo Technikon, 1994–97 1976–2004 Tshwane University of Technology Technikon Northern Gauteng ← Technikon Northern Transvaal, –1997 1980–2004 Tshwane University of Technology Technikon SA (Technikon South Africa)← Technikon RSA, 1980–93 1980–2004 University of South Africa Technikon Free State , 1994-2004 ← Technikon OFS / , 1988-1994 1988?–2004 Central University of Technology ML Sultan Technikon 1946–2002 Durban Institute of Technology Mangosuthu Technikon 1979–2001 Mangosuthu University of Technology Vaal Triangle Technikon 1966–2003 Vaal University of Technology Witwatersrand Technikon 1923–2005 University of Johannesburg
In some sources, certain school names were reversed, e.g., Technikon Pretoria or Pretoria Technikon. Likewise, Witwatersrand Technikon or Technikon Witwatersrand; Natal Technikon or Technikon Natal; Free State Technikon or Technikon Free State.
History
Some technical colleges were founded in the early to mid-20th century in the country. In 1967, four technical colleges (Cape, Pretoria, Witwatersrand and Natal) became "colleges of advanced technical education". Two more such colleges (Vaal and Witwatersrand) were added by 1969. These six colleges became the first technikons in 1979.
In the 1980s and 1990s, 9 more technikons were constituted, bringing up the total to 15.
Compared to universities, technikons were not seen as prestigious. The Committee of Technikon Principals felt that "the name technikon had become a stumbling block", as their graduates were not recognized by professional associations, especially internationally.
Mergers and reorganisations were announced in 2002, drastically reducing the number of technikons. By 2006, after a process to transform the nation's "higher education landscape", there were no technikons left.
Student compositions During Apartheid, the schools were divided into historically white technikons (HWTs) and historically black technikons (HBTs). The seven white technikons include the 'big four' (Cape, Pretoria, Witwatersrand and Natal), which had the most students (6000–11000 in 1991). The other white technikons were Free State, Port Elizabeth, and Vaal Triangle. SA was for distance learning, with a slight majority of whites.
Northern Gauteng and Mangosuthu were black technikons. Peninsula was classified as a , but it was mostly attended by Coloureds. ML Sultan was also nominally a HBT, but was mostly attended by Indians.
Three technikons were created in bantustans; these had the lowest enrollments: Border (Ciskei), Eastern Cape (Transkei), and North-West (initially named Setlogelo; in Bophuthatswana).
Degrees In 1993, the Technikon Act (No. 125) enabled technikons to provide degree studies and confer degrees. Several technikon programmes were possible: national higher certificate (2 years) (3 years): 75% of technikon enrollments were in this diploma. 2 years of theoretical training, plus 1 year of experiential training with an industrial employer national higher diploma (4 years) bachelor's degree in technology (B-Tech: 4 years) in some schools: master's degree (M-Tech: 1 year minimum) in some schools: doctoral degree (D-Tech: 2 years minimum).
White technikons and ML Sultan Technikon offered degrees at all three levels (bachelor's, master's and doctorates), but others did not.
References
The years for some older school names are from: