By Akani Nkuna
The National Research Foundation and the FirstRand Empowerment Foundation have renewed their collaboration to advance the Black Academics Advancement Programme (BAAP).
This partnership aims to foster the development and support Black academic talent, promoting diversity and inclusion in higher education and research.
Launched in 2018 with an initial five-year term, BAAP has assisted around 347 academics from 26 universities in completing their PhDs and gaining postdoctoral experience. The renewed agreement will continue until 2028.
According to the NRF, the programme offers financial support for durations of six months to three years, with a maximum annual funding of R300,000 for PhD candidates and R400,000 for postdoctoral researchers.
NRF’s acting deputy CEO Gugu Moche said that “the renewal of the funding agreement by the NRF and FREF is a significant step towards supporting black academic emerging researchers in South Africa”.
“This initiative contributes to the diversification of the research landscape and fosters innovation. It is wonderful to see such commitment to the empowerment of under-represented groups in academia.”
BAAP aligns with the National Development Plan 2030 goal of ensuring that 75% of university academic staff hold PhDs by 2030. A report from the Council on Higher Education showed that in 2009, only one-third of full-time, permanent academic staff had PhDs.
Additionally, there was a decline in the number of full-time academic staff at public universities during the same period.
FREF social investing head Konehali Gugushe said that “the partnership with NRF demonstrates our organisation’s commitment to addressing inequality through impactful public benefit activities that promote B-BBEE.
“Our quality education pillar is dedicated to the enhancement of access to higher education, improvement of skills and earning opportunities, and the strengthening of institutional capacity to foster sustainable growth in the education sector.”
The shortage of qualified academic staff has significantly raised the supervisory load for postgraduate supervisors. Between 2000 and 2005, the supervisor-to-student ratio increased across all science fields.
At the master’s level, it rose from 3.8 to 5.2 students per supervisor, while at the PhD level, the ratio grew from 1.3 to 2.2 students per supervisor during this six-year period.
“FREF is fully committed to the establishment of strategic partnerships with organisations like the NRF, which leverage their research and innovation capabilities to ensure the continued delivery of high-impact societal interventions,” Gugushe added.
INSIDE EDUCATION
