Date: 25/06/2004
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: University of Zululand workshop on internationalising curriculum
CLOSING ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT, JACOB ZUMA, AT THE FIFTH BI-ANNUAL UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND WORKSHOP ON INTERNATIONALISING THE CURRICULUM IN THE 21st CENTURY, Durban, 25 June 2004
Your Majesty, Silo Samabandla,
The Executive Mayor of Ethekwini, Councillor Obed Mlaba,
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Zululand, Professor Gumbi,
The Interim Vice-Chancellor of the University of KwaZulu-Natal,
Professor Makgoba,
President of Chicago State University, Dr. Daniel,
Rector of Coastal KZN Further Education and Training College, Mr Winston Nzimande,
Mr Tokyo Sexwale, chairman of Mvelaphanda Holdings,
Members of the diplomatic corps,
Distinguished guests,
Good evening to you all.
Thank you for affording me this opportunity of interacting with you, after the very important deliberations on the Internationalisation of the Higher Education curriculum.
I believe that the discussions have reflected on what the South African Higher Education Landscape has to offer the global community, and the challenges we continue to face. Also important is that delegates were seized with the critical issues of curriculum development and redesign, to answer to the challenges facing the Sub-Saharan African region.
I am pleased that the resolutions taken here point to a broadening of the horizon and the strengthening of the kind of partnerships that we see today, among the many partners in higher education including the private sector and international institutions.
We believe that while government should not dictate the curricula to institutions of higher education, we have an obligation, particularly in South Africa, to promote a curriculum that addresses the needs of a developing nation.
Like most societies emerging from conflict, South Africa has had to seriously look at its curriculum development. We came from a history of racially skewed resources and a higher education system that sought to promote and perpetuate a state of permanent inequality.
Our education system therefore has to be responsive to the important tasks of nation building, empowerment and the goals of alleviating poverty, benefiting not only within our country but the SADC region as well.
In that vein, ladies and gentlemen, we believe that improving the higher education curricula in our continent needs to take place against the background of the objectives of the continent, as enunciated in Africa's socio-economic blueprint, the New Partnership for Africa's Development, (NEPAD).
I am reminding you of the long-term objective of NEPAD so that you should not lose focus of the bigger picture in the implementation of the resolutions adopted at this workshop.
I am emphasising this because managing higher education institutions is a challenging task, especially given the layered complexities facing these institutions.
In order to do justice to higher education, the complex nature of the system requires us to get out of our boxes and think broadly about the place of higher education in the economic and social development of the region and globally as you sought to do with this workshop.
I am confident that we all agree that we cannot begin to think about higher education, nationally or in the region, without thinking about the critical role of the whole education system. It would also be inappropriate to talk about higher education institutions without thinking about the state of the economy, which has a significant impact on national budgets.
This means that we have to appreciate that national and regional higher education systems are intertwined with the political, economic and social dynamics in the region.
Therefore, in order to address the developmental needs of our people, our education systems need to look into a number of areas.
Firstly, it is imperative that we create an environment that is conducive to economic growth.
Secondly, it is important that we do not only facilitate access to higher education simply because government policy requires us to do so, but we should encourage our young people to study critical subjects which would enable them to contribute to the growth and development of our economy.
Thirdly, it is useful for us to encourage entrepreneurial studies among our students so that we can boost our economies and reduce the levels of unemployment.
Fourthly, distinguished guests, we believe that higher education must be conscious of the great expectations that communities and citizens have of our institutions.
Our communities look to higher education for intellectual engagement and suggestions of solutions in dealing with the challenges of economic development; job creation, reduction of poverty and the development of human resources.
They also look to higher education to provide us with intellectual tools to deal with social ills such as racism, sexism and xenophobia. Therefore, in addition to training students for the labour market, programmes should also address issues of equity, tolerance, integrity, political engagement, and high levels of constructive participation in all spheres of society.
We would have failed in our role as leaders if we do not promote these values, and I am really pleased that you were able to discuss some of these issues.
Before looking globally, we must work in our neighbourhood first. I am therefore encouraged by the integration that we see developing in our institutions of higher learning, especially the increasing numbers of students from SADC countries who are studying in local universities and technikons.
For example, the number rose from around 25 000 in 2001 and to more than 30 000 in 2002. All students from the SADC region studying at South African universities and technikons are fully subsidised and treated as home students.
This is also in line with the SADC Education Protocol, developed five years ago, which calls on member states to work as partners to attain the educational objectives of the 14 countries within SADC. This commitment extends to the broader education objectives within the context of NEPAD and other AU programmes.
The presence of students from SADC and beyond is of enormous benefit to South African students, giving them the valuable opportunity to learn from fellow students with different experiences and perspectives.
The same can be said with the partnership that has been developed with the Chicago State University, which has created the infrastructure for offering international learning experiences to students from CSU and its partnering South African institutions.
Such partnerships can only strengthen all academic disciplines, administrative structures, community development curricula and activities of the participating institutions. We live in a global village and need to understand one another and share solutions that will create a better world.
I must emphasise, especially to the leadership of African educational institutions that we rely on you, in this era of globalisation, to promote the notion of an African university, as informed by the declaration of the OAU and the Association of African Universities, outlining the vision of the African University for the third millennium.
It included the following: -
* African universities must strive to create an institutional environment that fosters the development of the mind, inculcating responsible citizenship and the will to serve
* African universities must give priority to effective and positive participation in the global creation, exchange and application of knowledge
* African universities must renew their commitment to helping Africa find effective solutions to its perennial problems of poverty, hunger and disease
* African universities need to develop and implement deliberate policies to address social and gender imbalances at all levels within their institutions
* African universities should take full advantage of their collective potential, by pursuing with increased vigour, opportunities for inter-institutional cooperation and academic mobility.
Therefore ladies and gentlemen, workshops such as the one you have held here are crucial in unpacking this vision and helping us to find solutions.
I have been informed that the discussions that have been taking place here since Tuesday have produced a clear programme of action that will be implemented by all stakeholders.
I have no doubt that all the delegates here were able to enrich discussions on various topics including bio-technology, bio-agriculture, agri-business, interactive learning, as well as education for combating HIV and AIDS.
Having paid attention to the quality and quantity of skills that are needed to develop our societies, I am certain that this workshop has adopted a path of a pro-development higher education as well as new curriculum designs to face socio-economic and political challenges of our time.
Therefore, congratulations are in order to all of you for the hard work. It is now time to implement so that we can all gain from this interaction.
I thank you.
Enquire: Ms Lakela Kaunda
Tel: 012 300 5200
Fax: 012 326 3010
Cell: 082 782 2575
Issued by: The Presidency
25 June 2004
Source: SAPA
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: University of Zululand workshop on internationalising curriculum
CLOSING ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT, JACOB ZUMA, AT THE FIFTH BI-ANNUAL UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND WORKSHOP ON INTERNATIONALISING THE CURRICULUM IN THE 21st CENTURY, Durban, 25 June 2004
Your Majesty, Silo Samabandla,
The Executive Mayor of Ethekwini, Councillor Obed Mlaba,
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Zululand, Professor Gumbi,
The Interim Vice-Chancellor of the University of KwaZulu-Natal,
Professor Makgoba,
President of Chicago State University, Dr. Daniel,
Rector of Coastal KZN Further Education and Training College, Mr Winston Nzimande,
Mr Tokyo Sexwale, chairman of Mvelaphanda Holdings,
Members of the diplomatic corps,
Distinguished guests,
Good evening to you all.
Thank you for affording me this opportunity of interacting with you, after the very important deliberations on the Internationalisation of the Higher Education curriculum.
I believe that the discussions have reflected on what the South African Higher Education Landscape has to offer the global community, and the challenges we continue to face. Also important is that delegates were seized with the critical issues of curriculum development and redesign, to answer to the challenges facing the Sub-Saharan African region.
I am pleased that the resolutions taken here point to a broadening of the horizon and the strengthening of the kind of partnerships that we see today, among the many partners in higher education including the private sector and international institutions.
We believe that while government should not dictate the curricula to institutions of higher education, we have an obligation, particularly in South Africa, to promote a curriculum that addresses the needs of a developing nation.
Like most societies emerging from conflict, South Africa has had to seriously look at its curriculum development. We came from a history of racially skewed resources and a higher education system that sought to promote and perpetuate a state of permanent inequality.
Our education system therefore has to be responsive to the important tasks of nation building, empowerment and the goals of alleviating poverty, benefiting not only within our country but the SADC region as well.
In that vein, ladies and gentlemen, we believe that improving the higher education curricula in our continent needs to take place against the background of the objectives of the continent, as enunciated in Africa's socio-economic blueprint, the New Partnership for Africa's Development, (NEPAD).
I am reminding you of the long-term objective of NEPAD so that you should not lose focus of the bigger picture in the implementation of the resolutions adopted at this workshop.
I am emphasising this because managing higher education institutions is a challenging task, especially given the layered complexities facing these institutions.
In order to do justice to higher education, the complex nature of the system requires us to get out of our boxes and think broadly about the place of higher education in the economic and social development of the region and globally as you sought to do with this workshop.
I am confident that we all agree that we cannot begin to think about higher education, nationally or in the region, without thinking about the critical role of the whole education system. It would also be inappropriate to talk about higher education institutions without thinking about the state of the economy, which has a significant impact on national budgets.
This means that we have to appreciate that national and regional higher education systems are intertwined with the political, economic and social dynamics in the region.
Therefore, in order to address the developmental needs of our people, our education systems need to look into a number of areas.
Firstly, it is imperative that we create an environment that is conducive to economic growth.
Secondly, it is important that we do not only facilitate access to higher education simply because government policy requires us to do so, but we should encourage our young people to study critical subjects which would enable them to contribute to the growth and development of our economy.
Thirdly, it is useful for us to encourage entrepreneurial studies among our students so that we can boost our economies and reduce the levels of unemployment.
Fourthly, distinguished guests, we believe that higher education must be conscious of the great expectations that communities and citizens have of our institutions.
Our communities look to higher education for intellectual engagement and suggestions of solutions in dealing with the challenges of economic development; job creation, reduction of poverty and the development of human resources.
They also look to higher education to provide us with intellectual tools to deal with social ills such as racism, sexism and xenophobia. Therefore, in addition to training students for the labour market, programmes should also address issues of equity, tolerance, integrity, political engagement, and high levels of constructive participation in all spheres of society.
We would have failed in our role as leaders if we do not promote these values, and I am really pleased that you were able to discuss some of these issues.
Before looking globally, we must work in our neighbourhood first. I am therefore encouraged by the integration that we see developing in our institutions of higher learning, especially the increasing numbers of students from SADC countries who are studying in local universities and technikons.
For example, the number rose from around 25 000 in 2001 and to more than 30 000 in 2002. All students from the SADC region studying at South African universities and technikons are fully subsidised and treated as home students.
This is also in line with the SADC Education Protocol, developed five years ago, which calls on member states to work as partners to attain the educational objectives of the 14 countries within SADC. This commitment extends to the broader education objectives within the context of NEPAD and other AU programmes.
The presence of students from SADC and beyond is of enormous benefit to South African students, giving them the valuable opportunity to learn from fellow students with different experiences and perspectives.
The same can be said with the partnership that has been developed with the Chicago State University, which has created the infrastructure for offering international learning experiences to students from CSU and its partnering South African institutions.
Such partnerships can only strengthen all academic disciplines, administrative structures, community development curricula and activities of the participating institutions. We live in a global village and need to understand one another and share solutions that will create a better world.
I must emphasise, especially to the leadership of African educational institutions that we rely on you, in this era of globalisation, to promote the notion of an African university, as informed by the declaration of the OAU and the Association of African Universities, outlining the vision of the African University for the third millennium.
It included the following: -
* African universities must strive to create an institutional environment that fosters the development of the mind, inculcating responsible citizenship and the will to serve
* African universities must give priority to effective and positive participation in the global creation, exchange and application of knowledge
* African universities must renew their commitment to helping Africa find effective solutions to its perennial problems of poverty, hunger and disease
* African universities need to develop and implement deliberate policies to address social and gender imbalances at all levels within their institutions
* African universities should take full advantage of their collective potential, by pursuing with increased vigour, opportunities for inter-institutional cooperation and academic mobility.
Therefore ladies and gentlemen, workshops such as the one you have held here are crucial in unpacking this vision and helping us to find solutions.
I have been informed that the discussions that have been taking place here since Tuesday have produced a clear programme of action that will be implemented by all stakeholders.
I have no doubt that all the delegates here were able to enrich discussions on various topics including bio-technology, bio-agriculture, agri-business, interactive learning, as well as education for combating HIV and AIDS.
Having paid attention to the quality and quantity of skills that are needed to develop our societies, I am certain that this workshop has adopted a path of a pro-development higher education as well as new curriculum designs to face socio-economic and political challenges of our time.
Therefore, congratulations are in order to all of you for the hard work. It is now time to implement so that we can all gain from this interaction.
I thank you.
Enquire: Ms Lakela Kaunda
Tel: 012 300 5200
Fax: 012 326 3010
Cell: 082 782 2575
Issued by: The Presidency
25 June 2004
Source: SAPA
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