President Thabo Mbeki met the vice-chancellors of the historically disadvantaged universities and technikons in Pretoria on Saturday, as part of government’s ongoing consultations with those affected by the planned restructuring of higher education.
The National Plan for Higher Education — Education Minister Kader Asmal’s education restructuring plan announced last week — proposes that 36 higher education institutions be reduced to 21, including 11 universities, six technikons and four comprehensive institutions.
Two national institutes for higher education will also be established. Under the plan, the University of Transkei (Unitra) is set to close down, and its medical school will be incorporated into the University of Fort Hare. The rest of Unitra will disappear into a combination of the Border and Eastern Cape Technikons.
Presidential representative Bheki Khumalo said in a press release that Mbeki was accompanied to the meeting by Asmal; Deputy Education Minister Mosibudi Mangena; the director-general in the Presidency, Rev Frank Chikane; Education director-general Thami Mseleku; the president’s legal adviser, advocate Mojanku Gumbi; and Saki Macozoma, chairman of the working group on the restructuring of higher education.
It was agreed that further consultations would be held at various levels as a three-month window period for public consultations and inputs is provided for by the Higher Education Act. All parties involved and affected by the envisaged restructuring process would be allowed to make representations before Cabinet takes a final decision on the matter, Khumalo said. – Sapa