A response to Yusef Waghid's leading article

In responding to a potential tension between the need to increase doctoral throughput while simultaneously not compromising quality (Waghid, in this issue), we identify very briefly some of the complex conditions at the institutional and system's level that cultivate doctoral capabilities. Through isolating certain elements in the doctoral process at the institutional level, we observe some tensions between traditional/collegial and - what is becoming - an increasing commodification of doctoral practices 'on the ground'. In foregrounding this tension, we wish to open up further avenues for thinking about doctoral processes, mindful of the cultivation of high-level technical and intellectual skills. This tension might be structured into the national system level, in light of the differentiation policy. We seek to open up a conversation that could pose an opportunity for thinking through the requisite high-level skills, and appropriate levels of research support, in order to harness innovation as we strive towards redressing historical legacies.