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Date: 19/08/2005
Source: Department of Education
Title: Pandor: SASCO National General Council


    Address by the Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor, MP, at the SASCO National General Council, Johannesburg,

Chairperson,
President of SASCO, Mothupi Modiba,
Delegates, comrades and friends,

I am pleased to be given, once again, the opportunity to address a national gathering of student leaders and, in particular, to contribute to the ongoing debate on how we might improve higher education’s contribution to national development.

Last year, I recollect addressing South African Students Congress’ (SASCO) annual meeting and reminding you of the proud history of the organisation of battles won and battles still to be waged, organisational shortcomings and your future challenges.

I am extremely pleased at reports that progress has been made, your popularity on campus increasingly restored and that your recent campaign focus on student services has been a success.

At a recent meeting of national student leaders and SRC presidents, I said that: “Education and quality public higher education in particular, has immense potential to contribute to the consolidation of democracy and social justice, and the growth and development of the economy”.

It is important to assert this perspective because our predilection of generally talking down higher education poses unwelcome threats to the strengthening of higher education.

We are fortunate in that we have a higher education system that is an asset, both for individuals for the nation and for Africa. The skills, creativity and research developed through higher education are a major factor in our success in creating jobs and in our prosperity. It is necessary to ensure that while we consistently and correctly advocate transformation we also should strive to jealously guard our gains and our universities.

None of you need to be reminded that in many countries in the region universities are in a crisis of decline and often stand challenged and neglected by governments. Given the role universities play in promoting and strengthening intellectual development and critical inquiry we must attend to their needs and to the areas of change we wish them to address.

This is because universities play a vital role in expanding opportunity and promoting social justice. The benefits of higher education for individuals and societies are far-reaching. On average, graduates get better jobs and earn more than those without higher education. Countries with a strong university research tradition also boost their GDP levels positively.

We can be proud of our achievements in higher education since 1994. The number gaining degrees has doubled in the last decade. Completion rates for students are beginning to improve. More overseas students are studying here. Our research capacity is strong and sometimes even world class.

It is in this context, that I wish to reflect with you today on some of the progress we have made in achieving the ideals of the Freedom Charter, the challenges we continue to face, and the different mechanisms there are of responding to these challenges.

Since 1994, we have enhanced the democratisation of higher education governance and enshrined in law the rights of students to have democratically elected representation in higher education.

Improving access has also been one of the key thrusts of education reform since the democratic elections.

Enrolment of female learners in higher education has increased from 44% in 1994 to 53% in 2003 and black students account for over 72% of enrolments in higher education.

We have also begun to remove the geo-political footprint of apartheid planners through the reconstruction of the further and higher education systems.

In further education and training (FET) institutional reform has been achieved with the formation of 50 FET colleges from 152 technical colleges and 21 higher education institutions from 36 universities and technikons, some of which bring together historically black and historically white institutions.

The development of planning, funding and quality audit instruments has provided us with a range of mechanisms that support our continuing efforts to transform higher education.

Despite these positive developments, higher education in South Africa is confronted by a number of pressing sectoral challenges.

The key challenges facing the South African higher education system remain as outlined in the White Paper: “to redress past inequalities and to transform the higher education system to serve a new social order, to meet pressing national needs, and to respond to new realities and opportunities.”

The first challenge is to ensure that increasing tuition fees do not diminish access to universities. As Martin Hall says in a recent Cape Times article the sector may benefit from the development of a national framework policy on university fee increases. Urgent attention needs to be given to this challenge.

The subject of funding higher education is receiving attention from government. The Department and the National Treasury are undertaking a study to review funding trends in higher education and to assess the resource and financial implications of service delivery requirements for the sector.

While this is ongoing, I know that many of you are anxious about the cost of higher education and the extent to which increases in tuition fees prevent access to higher education.

In this regard, I will continue to engage with our higher education institutions to find mechanisms of managing the cost of going to universities. We need to find a solution that allows us to address costs as well as access.

We face hard choices on funding, quality and management. We know that universities are struggling to employ the best academics, because of the loss of academics to other systems and to the science councils. We also know that there is an investment backlog in teaching and research facilities.

The second challenge is to improve the quality of academic life for students in higher education.

As student leaders, you are the interface between students, academics and institutional managers.

Among your tasks, you must identify the best possible ways to enhance the quality and experience of academic life of all students.

Higher education should not merely be the shortest route between school and a profession.

Higher education must also produce graduates who are whole citizens, who will contribute to the economic and social development of our country. The National Plan states that irrespective of the balance in enrolments, the key issue is to ensure that all graduates are equipped with the skills and competencies necessary to function in modern society, in particular, computer literacy, information management, communication and analytical skills. In this regard, the quality of the higher education system as a whole needs to be improved.

In this regard, you will be challenged to ensure the best use of resources at your command. The best use of resources provided to SRCs, most of whom are SASCO led.

As leadership issues of success, character of academic programme, comparability of standard and quality should be your concerns and not distant policy issues. Access to resources should mean that you are able to provide better services to those that you lead.

One specific challenge in this regard is student health in general and HIV and AIDS in particular. I note that you have dedicated a full session to HIV and AIDS and its impact on students and the necessary response it requires.

The Higher Education and HIV and AIDS programme is a departmental programme managed and co-ordinated by Higher Education South Africa (HESA).

Starting in November 2005, the European Union-funded phase of the programme, amounting to €20 million, will be implemented over a four-year period.

The programme is the higher education sector’s response to HIV and AIDS, designed to enable institutions to prevent, manage and mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS.

The Programme will promote the provision of appropriate and sustainable services and programmes for both staff and students.

The programme steering committee, which is chaired by the Department and is to meet twice yearly, will also comprise student representation as invitees to ensure that appropriate support is given.

Chairperson, in conclusion, you need to continue to build a strong organisation for the pursuit of the goals and objectives of the Freedom Charter. The challenge for SASCO is to strengthen its structures and membership so that it actively pursues this project of change to its logical conclusion, which is the fundamental transformation of South Africa and our higher education practices and institutions.

In closing, let me remind you, as I did last year, that student leaders must be at the forefront of strengthening student governance and management, by ensuring that you subscribe to visible and exemplary good governance and management yourselves.

I wish you well in your deliberations over the next three days. I urge you to work hard towards our goal of building a quality higher education system appropriate for our country and society, and for the 21st century.

I have not made reference to several matters of significance that I hope you will focus upon in future. Of importance among these is the critical issue of higher education on the continent and the use and development of student organisation to build active support for New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and the realisation of Africa’s strategic objectives.

As you know we are still truncated by our Anglophone and francophone inheritance, we need to bridge these boundaries and to ensure that as students we begin to assume a strategic role in the positive advance of the continent.

Finally the challenge of a developmental state requires careful scrutiny of the relations between university and society’s progress. These brief sets of challenges pose a significant agenda for the leadership and your members. I look forward to seeing how your programme of action will respond to them.

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Education
19 August 2005
   

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