In line with AD movements internationally, it was concerned with staff, student, curriculum and institutional development in higher education.

AD was introduced into South African higher education in the early 1980s in response to imminent political changes, which saw relatively small groups of black students admitted to historically white, liberal universities (Boughey 2010). The University Amendment Act (Act 83 of 1983) was passed in 1983. This act was seen as an attempt to prescribe the number of black students that could be admitted by these institutions, an attempt resisted by the universities themselves. It was in response to the admission of these students that academic support programmes were developed for the perceived benefit of such students who were deemed “underprepared” for university study. However, as early as 1985, Vilakazi and Tema argued that the universities themselves were in need of transformation and development, not the students. By 1986, the South African Association of Academic Development (SAAAD) was established as professional organisation.

The first SAAAD conference took place in 1986. This conference was followed by, for example, other conferences at PE Technikon (1992), University of the Western Cape (1993), the University of Natal (1994) and Free State Technikon (1995). After this vibrant activity linked to the liberation struggle in the mid and late 1980s and early 1990s, South African AD suffered a series of setbacks in the late 1990s. This resulted in its fragmentation and inevitable decline as collective movement as well in the demise of SAAAD in 2002 and the establishment of an interim structure, South African Academic Development Association (SAADA).

Between 2000 and 2003, four annual conferences sought, in different ways and with limited success, to revitalise a sense of community in the South African AD project. The 2000 conference at Rhodes University recognised some of the new challenges facing the AD movement and initiated the establishment of an online forum and network. The 2001 conference at the University of the North in Polokwane attempted to position AD within the African Renaissance project but achieved little in terms of setting and sustaining this course of action.

Tracing Our Journey: Shapeshifting (2021 – )

Through its activities in 2020 as well as the success of our first online conference during the COVID pandemic, HELTASA has proven that it is resilient and relevant in times of crisis, especially where learning and teaching are concerned. As HELTASA grows in profile and membership, it became clear that the shape and fit of the organisation needed to align with its changing role and purview.

If we wish to be a strong voice in the sector, as well as offer collegial support to its members, HELTASA needs to increase its capability and capacity to fulfil these goals. For this reason, HELTASA entered a phase of repurposing and restructuring in early 2021 to expand its leadership capacity to make the HELTASA circle bigger.

During a meeting convened by the HELTASA Executive Committee in January that year, a proposal was tabled to amend section 5 of the Constitution of the HELTASA. This proposal serves to align with the ever-changing Higher Education (HE) landscape and HELTASA’s continued delivery on its mandate as a relevant, responsive and resilient professional entity, which is committed to strengthening HE practice, research and policy. The amended constitution was approved in 2023. 

The growth of the organisation, together with its expanding and shifting role – particularly with how the coronavirus pandemic has affected HE – necessitates repurposing and restructuring the governing structure and governance mechanism to ensure efficacy and sustainability.