Pretoria | Monday
THE resources accumulated by previously white universities and technikons over years of political advantage, should now be shared with their previously marginalised counterparts, the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Historically Disadvantaged Tertiary Institutions announced this week.
Association representative Muxe Nkondo criticised the proposed mergers of tertiary institutions — which will reduce the number from 36 to 21 –saying historically black universities and technikons would suffer while their formerly white counterparts would remain largely unaffected.
Such a move did not make financial sense, he told the SABC’s Newsmaker programme.
”There is no point to merging three historically poor universities and expect them to deal with the complex problems of rural development.”
”Those resources that the historically white universities have accumulated over the years, a strategy must be found to make sure those resources… are made available to poorer institutions and poor communities,” he said.
Hugh Africa, a member of the national working group which made the proposals, said the majority of students at former white institutions were black.
”The concern of the plan is to ensure that students across the country… are going to get the kind of education that enables them to fit into the 21st century.”
Proposals have been made to ensure that universities with strong capabilities in certain fields share their expertise with their historically marginalised counterparts, Africa said.
It did not make any sense to weaken existing capabilities, he added.
Responding to claims that vice-chancellors were merely concerned about their jobs rather than transformation in general, Nkondo said: ”We are not just concerned about our jobs, but about job losses across the entire sector.”
He also denied that many historically black institutions have failed to prove their economic viability, and said these institutions have contributed more to transformation than their so-called white counterparts.
Nkondo criticised the working group’s research, saying it had failed to take into account a wide range of factors. Among other things, it had not studied the financial and audit statements of some institutions.
The association intended approaching Education Minister Kader Asmal with a proposal to broaden the research base and widen consultation.
Africa said the group’s research had indicated that none of the country’s tertiary institutions met the requirements of a ”maximally efficient institution”.
”Our recommendations were calculated to ensure the new landscape is going to comprise institutions that are more efficient, more productive, more sustainable.” – Sapa
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