Underperformance in public education has been blamed for tertiary institutions’ failure to produce enough black professionals Glenda Daniels, David Macfarlane and Thebe Mabanga The number of black professionals graduating in South Africa has remained alarmingly static since the mid-Nineties, with experts identifying the poor level of mathematics and science teaching in schools as a major reason for the disturbing trend. Figures suggest the situation is particularly bleak in fields such as accountancy, engineering and the medical professions. Out of about 19000 chartered accountants in the country only about 1 000 are blacks (Indians, coloureds and Africans) and only 199 are African (fewer than 50 are women). Only three universities produced at least 10 black graduates in this field last year. An equivalently worrying picture in engineering is suggested by recent trends at the University of Cape Town. While 53 black undergraduate students registered in the engineering faculty in 1995, and 73 this year, a mere 14 black students graduated in 1999. Enrolment and pass-rate trends at technikons indicate a further facet to this problem. Nationally, black students at technikons accounted for by far the highest increase in enrolment of any race group between 1996 and 1998 – while the total number of technikon students actually decreased from 1997 to 1999. And yet technikons’ pass rates saw an overall decrease from 1996 to 1998.
Statistics for medical enrolment and graduates are no more cheering. Figures supplied by Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation researcher Sibusiso Ntuli show that only 1% of MBChB first-year students at Stellenbosch University are black, 69% are white, and 30% are coloured and Indian. At the University of Pretoria 33% of undergraduates in 1999 were black. And in one medical university 56% of black students failed their first year. “We cannot look at the number of black professionals coming in without looking at the collapse of formal education in the country,” says Jonathan Jansen, dean of education at the University of Pretoria. But increasing numbers of black students have been enrolling for, and graduating with, law degrees; and the General Bar Council says there is “a continually increasing number of blacks” who are qualifying as advocates. Of the 600 members of the Johannesburg Bar, 95 are black. There has been a steady increase of blacks joining the Bar since 1995, when there were 48 black advocates. (In 1996 there were 55, in 1997 there were 63, in 1998 there were 72 and in 1999 there were 74.) Contributing to this upsurge in interest in law is a placement programme run by a range of legal bodies, including the Department of Justice, Lawyers for Human Rights and the Black Lawyers Association. The programme’s director, advocate Thomas Bokaba, says the programme has placed 330 graduates over the past year nationally. However, disturbingly high numbers of advocates in KwaZulu-Natal leave the profession within the first five years of practice, for more lucrative work in commerce – and indications are that this trend is nationally widespread. Chair of the Natal Bar advocate Colin Pammenter says this trend “is worryingly evident among African males”. To counter this, the Natal Bar has introduced mentorship programmes run by senior advocates: of the 212 members currently in these programmes, 80 are black. “While R50-billion a year is spent on education, there is absolutely nothing to show for it. There is no capacity to deliver on policies. It is crucial for the growth of the country to address underperformance in public education or we will not address the shortage of black professionals and technically qualified people,” says Jansen. “There just aren’t enough black accountants coming into the profession today,” says Luke Kirsten, chair of the Association of Black Accountants of South Africa. He says the figures show a glaring racial disparity. There is, he says, a low level of exposure socially to the profession and often black students don’t qualify for university entrance because mathematics has not been a focus in their school curriculum. “The other big and obvious reason, of course, is economics – the money to study. Often students study part-time and work part-time and this also accounts for the fact that black accountancy students get the lowest results at university.” Phindi Mabena, equity development officer of the South African Institute for Chartered Accountants, says the institute is implementing awareness programmes in schools about the profession. “We are also aware that teachers do not encourage their best students to study accountancy. So we have formed a teachers’ enrichment project, with about 1000 teachers on the programme nationally.” However, accountant Vernon Naidoo feels that white firms are prejudiced and don’t want to take on black accountants; and there are not enough black firms. As a result black students face unique difficulties in getting articles.
Jansen says that there are just too few black professionals and technically qualified people to redress the inequalities in the country. Doing so is crucial to get the economy growing. “Professional black people are needed and too few students are coming through with the skills that are needed. Addressing the formal education system will be a strategy to build capacity in the country,” he says. Many engineering companies are not seeing the result of advancement or affirmative action programmes. Bill Bailey, managing director of Girder Naco (Pty) Ltd, says there are too few “previously disadvantaged people coming into the industry”. Black students have the disadvantage of bad training in mathematics and science at schools, he says. “Some of the bridging courses at universities have not worked to get students up to speed. Companies like ours do not see the result of advancement programmes; they have not gone far enough.”