Unisa is celebrating 144 years of academic excellence this year
On June 26 2017, the University of South Africa (Unisa) will mark 144 years since its founding as the University of the Cape of Good Hope. Since this historic moment 14 decades ago and to the present, in various ways and the many forms it has assumed until its latter-day form, Unisa has been at the epicentre of the utilisation of education to shape the futures of many in our country, the African continent and the world.
There exists sufficient consensus that over this period, Unisa has and continues to play a central role in ensuring access to learning for people of every hue, thereby empowering them to pursue their dreams and aspirations and participate meaningfully in socioeconomic activity, while contributing to the production of a skilled and knowledgeable human capital cohort, critical for local and international economic growth.
Unisa is unique in South Africa’s higher education environment and that of the continent. It is truly a national institution. Its size — it is the largest African university — as well as its resources and reach, place it in an ideal position to increase access to higher education among marginalised communities and to support high-level capacity development on the continent.
It is the only dedicated open distance learning (ODL) education provider in the country. The ODL model makes it possible to accommodate students residing in any country in the world. The university has a rich tapestry of study disciplines that include the humanities, business and management, law and criminal justice, agriculture and environmental sciences, as well as science, engineering and technology.
Due to its comprehensive nature, Unisa offers an unparalleled range of study choices, ranging from short courses and certificate programmes to three-and four-year degrees, diplomas and doctorates.
As South Africa’s most productive university, Unisa accounts for more than 12% of all degrees conferred by institutions in the country. With a headcount of more than 300 000 students, it is one of the world’s mega universities, attracting students from 130 countries globally.
Unisa’s scenic main campus overlooks Tshwane, and is supplemented by a student campus (also in the city), a science and technology hub near Johannesburg, seven regional offices (including one in Ethiopia) and 28 learning centres countrywide.
As part of its quest to become the African University shaping futures in the service of humanity, Unisa has identified, among others, the need to position itself as an opinion and thought leader, influencer of the agenda on critical socioeconomic and political issues across the globe as well as visible demonstration of the institution’s involvement and impact on society at large.
The ongoing work across the institution to achieve this objective through numerous public lectures, dialogues, debates, seminars, conferences and symposia, round-table discussions and relevant high profile events is testimony to the institution’s commitment to actually live this motto.
Several of the colleges, institutes, centres and departments at Unisa are leading from the front to ensure the realisation of this goal of the university and that, in the end, Unisa is seen and recognised in the local, continental and international domain as the home of African scholarship and thought leadership.
Unisa has also recognised the need to be relevant and respond to the needs of the current times, where science and technology are the key determinants of the success of nations. In response to the need for highly skilled human capital, particularly in the areas where there are skills shortages, Unisa has invested close to R1-billion in the establishment of a dedicated science campus in Johannesburg. This initiative by Unisa is its response to the national call for South African institutions, particularly universities, to play key roles in knowledge generation and the development of the nation. The National Development Plan, in particular, identifies science, engineering and technology as areas that pose a challenge for economic growth and which require priority attention.
The Unisa Science Campus, which houses the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and the College of Science Engineering and Technology, boasts state-of-the art laboratories that will ensure that South Africa is at the cutting edge of research and knowledge production. The university is hopeful that this is an investment that will yield good returns for both the university and the country.
Collectively, staff at Unisa’s eight colleges are putting their knowledge and diverse talents to work through 169 innovative and socially responsive projects. Their impact is unprecedented. At Unisa, community engagement is a scholarly endeavour. Our academics and students, together with participating communities, collaborate in a mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge with the goal of social transformation and sustainable development. Because Unisa is an institution of considerable size, our local and international collaborations in community-engaged scholarship produce benefits on scale.
Unisa’s cutting-edge projects are designed to respond effectively to the development needs highlighted in the National Development Plan, the White Paper for Post-School Education and Training and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Communities around the country are participating in a transformative process of relevant learning that liberates the consciousness, strengthens public discourse, stimulates social justice and democratises knowledge.
Beyond the provision of formal programmes, Unisa has remained alive to the need to empower the marginalised sectors of our society, who, for one reason or another, have been and are unable to pursue higher education studies. Its community outreach programme, the Chance 2 Advance Programme, brings skills development and empowerment to the doorstep of the marginalised, enabling them to pursue learning. This programme, together with others conducted by the university, represents Unisa’s commitment to exemplary corporate citizenship, aimed at pushing back the frontiers of poverty and making South Africa a better country.
“Without a shadow of a doubt, ours is indeed a national university that plays a central role in helping South Africans and Africans from all walks of life shape their futures and define their own tomorrows. Looking at the huge numbers of students who have passed through our doors since 1873, we are indeed a people’s university. We have graduated the rich and famous and the poor and famous, the rich and poor infamous, and the ‘hoi polloi’ — ordinary men and women whose commitment and diligence have enabled them to graduate from Unisa to go on and do extraordinary things with their lives,’’ says Professor Mandla Makhanya, principal and vice chancellor of Unisa.
Martin Ramotshela is the spokesperson for Unisa