Researcher Rating System Becomes a Matter of Debate in South Africa
The academic rating system implemented by South Africa's National Research Foundation since 1984 is facing criticism due to high time costs, validity issues, and diminishing financial incentives.
Established in 1984 by the National Research Foundation, the researcher rating system is under fire for consuming vast amounts of academics' time, raising concerns over validity and bias, and losing its financial justification.
History and Purpose of the System
The researcher rating system under the South African National Research Foundation has been operating as part of the academic world since 1984. Designed to focus limited funds on successful researchers and provide a benchmark of quality, the system operates on five-year renewal cycles.
Academic Labor and Cost Burden
The system creates a massive hidden cost on academic time. While preparing application materials takes 20 to 40 hours, reviewing an eight-year research history requires three to six hours. The total annual labor cost is estimated to be between seven million and twenty million South African Rand.
Weakening of Financial Justifications
With direct financial incentives largely reduced, the financial basis of the system has largely disappeared. Under the 2018 framework, A-rated researchers experienced a ninety-four percent drop in real incentive value.
Validity and Bias Debates
Academics express concerns regarding the methodology, validity, and notions of quality that may exclude local research. Additionally, the lack of transparency in peer review and unverifiable results continue to be debated.