Grahamstown | Thursday
The National Tertiary Education Staff Union (Ntesu) at the University of Transkei (Unitra) on Wednesday rejected a recommendation that it be closed down and its medical school merged with Rhodes and Fort Hare universities.
A Ntesu statement accused the government of ”killing the economy” of the Umtata region in the Eastern Cape.
The proposal that all its programmes, barring the medical school, be closed down was made in a report of the National Working Group (NWG) appointed by Education Minister Kader Asmal to make recommendations on the restructuring of the higher education landscape.
The report said Unitra was not sustainable as an independent and autonomous institution.
”The financial indicators in particular point to this institution being in an irretrievable position, especially without the special dispensation it received from the old Transkei government. It carries a very large debt burden,” the report said.
But Ntesu said the staff at Unitra had demonstrated a commitment and loyalty to Unitra, the people of the region and the goals of development within the region.
They had received no salary increment in line with inflation since 1996, there had been no promotions, subsidies had been reduced and pension payouts were uncertain.
”Combining the sacrifices made by staff with the Minister’s reckless statements undermining the integrity of the academic processes and teaching abilities serves only to further intensify the injury to one’s professional identity,” the statement said.
Ntesu said the Umtata region had suffered from the relocation of the legislature to Bisho, and the closure of teacher colleges and parastatals such as Transkei Agricultural Corporation, the Transkei Road Transport Corporation, and the Transkei Appropriate Technology Unit.
”Now they are entertaining recommendations to close down the University of Transkei, which is the only institution of higher learning in the region for approximately 4,5 million economically depressed South Africans. And these, by the way, are mostly blacks.”
Ntesu accused NWG chairperson Saki Macozoma of showing clear contempt for the university during consultations prior to the publication of the report.
They said he had ”slept and played with a rubber band” throughout. If he had listened to Unitra’s presentation, he would have had a different view of the institution, it said.
On Tuesday, United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa also slammed the proposed closure of Unitra, accusing the African National Congress of creating educational policies that negated the academic and intellectual upliftment of previously disadvantaged communities. – Sapa