Ethical Data Governance for AI-Driven Analytics in South African Higher Education: A Policy and Framework Analysis.

This paper investigates ethical data governance frameworks for the use of AI-driven analytics in South African higher education institutions. As universities increasingly adopt AI technologies for student assessment, administrative automation and predictive analytics, concerns around data privacy, algorithmic fairness and institutional accountability intensify, particularly in contexts marked by digital inequality and socio-economic stratification. Using a qualitative, document-based methodology, the study analyses institutional policy documents and national regulations through a tripartite theoretical lens: Floridi’s framework for AI ethics, Ubuntu-informed African data ethics and Critical Data Studies. The findings reveal a fragmented governance landscape with over-reliance on Global North frameworks, limited contextual adaptation, and insufficient incorporation of communal data values. The study proposes a context-sensitive model thatintegrates global standards with African ethical perspectives to support equitable, transparent and culturally attuned AI implementation. This contributes to the discourse on decolonial AI governance and informs future policy development for responsible digital transformation in higher education.