Private higher education, particularly Christian private higher education has had a rough ride in recent years. Many colleges either have lost or are struggling to obtain accreditation with the Department of Education (DoE). Those institutions that are DoE accredited know what a laboursome endeavour the accreditation process is. Still, there seems to be yet another challenge facing Christian higher education.
Christian colleges and seminaries did not have a voice to represent their concerns to Government. We could not help but think, What if together we could establish an education forum—a neutral platform—from which Christian colleges, seminaries, and schools could speak jointly and present a united front? If there were a way to consolidate the voices of these places of learning into one, this new voice would be much more formidable than the nearly 250 individual voices. Imagine the authority it would have with Government and, specifically, the Department of Education. Naturally, these organizations coming together would not lose their identity, autonomy, give up their beliefs, or surrender their organizational structure. Instead, we would come together to work out a common strategy in support and defense of Christian education.
Still, one had to wonder, How would we do it? In February 2004, representatives of the accredited schools answered that question. We invited all the DoE-registered Christian higher education institutions. While we presented the meeting as informational in nature, it turned out to be founding instead. Upon the initiative of the delegates present, together we founded the Christian Private Higher Education Forum (CPHEF).
The CPHEF continues to grow in membership and serves as a representative voice of Christian colleges and seminaries the South African Government.