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UCT and the University of Bristol announce two initiatives

Charles Molele
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UCT and the University of Bristol announce two initiatives

INSIDE EDUCATION REPORTER

THE University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of Bristol (UoB) have launched two exciting initiatives – the UCT-UoB professorship programme and a fellowship programme for early career researchers. 
 
UCT has a long and rich history of collaboration with various partners across the educational, societal and governmental spheres – nationally and internationally.

The launch of the two initiatives with UoB is part of a partnership that has grown into one of the most important and rewarding for each university. 
 
Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Sue Harrison said: “Our longstanding relationship with the University of Bristol has its genesis in our common membership of the Worldwide University Alliance, strengthened by our co-leadership of the World Universities Network (WUN) Global Africa Group.

This thriving bilateral relationship launched the Research Beyond Borders initiative in July 2019: a cohort of eight cotutelle PhD researchers working between the two universities in the fields of public health and poverty.” 
 
Harrison said one of the elements that have underpinned the partnership is a common set of strategic values and a shared commitment to social justice. These are embedded in a new initiative announced this week following the UCT Vice-Chancellor’s Open Lecture by UoB VC Professor Evelyn Welch.
 
The first strand of this new initiative is the UCT–UoB Professorship Programme. Each university will award a professorship to three researchers for three years. These researchers will have the opportunity to spend up to six months a year at the partner university, working within one of three themes that the two universities have jointly identified.
 
The first of the three themes is “Hidden histories”. In this theme, UCT and the UoB will encourage selected researchers to explore the production of critical histories that make visible the often invisible and challenge the historical narratives of the powerful.

The second theme, “Climate change impacts and opportunities for health”, will offer selected researchers the opportunity to explore how climate change impacts health and to identify solutions that can reduce the impact of climate change on health and improve health outcomes, including at the city scale.
 
The third theme, “Environmental and social sustainability”, will encourage the exploration of a broad range of fields in which UCT and the UoB have complementary strengths, including (but not limited to) poverty and inequality, educational access, energy use and conservation, wastewater and water quality, as well as biodiversity and natural resources.
 
The second strand of the initiative is the UCT–UoB Fellowship Programme. Both universities believe in the importance of supporting their early career researchers to build their international experience and profile and take advantage of each institution’s possibilities.

Three early- to mid-career researchers from each institution will spend a maximum of three months a year, over two years, at the partner university. The fellows may focus on any research area, not restricted to the three themes specified as part of the professorship programme. 
 
“These professors and fellows will be expected to co-publish and engage in joint activities such as lecturing. We also believe that, over time, this will lead to the co-supervision of postgraduate researchers and collaborative grant applications.
 
“We value this opportunity to collaborate with a Northern-based partner who is thoroughly committed to the importance of African-led research, both in Africa and globally. The opportunities embedded in this initiative will enrich the participants, strengthen the partnership between our two institutions, and enable the birth of exciting new research projects and the continuance and growth of existing ones,” concluded Harrison.

INSIDE EDUCATION

UCT appoints Professor Daya Reddy as interim Vice-Chancellor

Charles Molele
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UCT appoints Professor Daya Reddy as interim Vice-Chancellor

THE University of Cape Town (UCT) Council has announced the appointment of Emeritus Professor Daya Reddy as interim Vice-Chancellor. 

This decision was made at a special Council meeting on 6 March 2023 following consultation with Senate on 2 March, and after seeking the advice of the Institutional Forum on 3 March.

UCT Chair of Council Babalwa Ngonyama said: “Professor Reddy will officially assume duty from Tuesday, 14 March 2023. He will hold this position until a new Vice-Chancellor is appointed.”

Professor Reddy has spent almost his entire academic career at UCT. At his retirement in 2020 he held the South African Research Chair in Computational Mechanics. He enjoys considerable recognition nationally and internationally as a researcher and has received multiple awards in recognition of his scholarly work. He is the author or co-author of over 200 publications and has supervised over 70 doctoral and master’s students to graduation. 

Professor Reddy has served in various management and leadership positions at UCT: as a head of department, as dean of the Faculty of Science for seven years, and from 1999 to 2021 as director of the Centre for Research in Computational and Applied Mechanics.

He served on three occasions as an acting deputy vice-chancellor, over these periods covering collectively a wide range of portfolios. He also served three terms on Council as a member elected by the Senate. Over and above his duties at UCT, he also has extensive governance and leadership experience nationally and internationally.

“We thank Professor Reddy for availing himself for this role and we warmly welcome him back to UCT. I am sure we will all offer him our support during his interim tenure,” concluded Ngonyama.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Mahikeng residents oppose alcohol in schools

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Mahikeng residents oppose alcohol in schools

PHUTI MOSOMANE

THE high rate of substance abuse in South Africa was cited as the main reason for the strong objection to the provisions of clause 8 of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill which regulates the possession, consumption or sale of alcohol on school premises.

These were the views the residents of greater Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality shared with the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education during the public hearings on the Bill at the Mmabatho Civic Centre in Mahikeng.

The hearings were the second of three hearings in the province which form part of the nationwide public participation process on the Bill.

The promotion of public participation is an obligation on Parliament in line with Section 59 (1) of the Constitution, which compels public involvement in the legislative-making process of the National Assembly. This ensures that laws are reflective of the views and wishes of the people and enhance participatory democracy.

A considerable number of participants highlighted that the presence of alcohol on school premises will send a wrong message to leaners especially when schools are already challenged by taverns and shebeens that sell liquor closer to schools.

While the majority of those against this clause supported the Bill for its broader objectives, they said this clause should be reconsidered.

Other participants argued that those who opposed the clause misconstrued its intention, in sharing their understanding of the clause, they said its intention is to regulate the consumption of alcohol on school premises in the event of school property being rented.

The regulation of home schooling in the Bill also provoked opposing views in Mahikeng. Those who opposed it expressed concerns that the Bill seeks to regulate an environment relatively unknown to the department.

According to residents, the Bill is unimplementable in the sense that the department is unable to hire enough educators, yet the Bill promises that assessors will monitor the implementation and progress of a home schooled child.

Also, they argued that the overregulation of the environment such as the requirement for annual assessment will create an additional financial burden on parents. They called for the complete removal of clause 37 and the drafting of a researched and well thought out Bill on the home schooling environment.

Those who supported the retention of clause 37 in the Bill, emphasised that regular schools are regulated and clause 37 will ensure standardisation and control over the home-schooling environment.

Another contentious point was the determination of language and admission policy at schools with some participants raising a concern that the Bill centralises power in the office of the head of department. The concern centred around the view that the School Governing Bodies (SGBs) are the appropriate and legitimate structures to make such determination due to their proximity to schools. Those against the clause advocated for the department to only intervene in cases where there is clear evidence that the SGB is unduly using the Bill to exclude learners.

Those who supported the clause said it is necessary to stimulate transformation and ensure standardisation across all public schools. Also, there was a fear that not adopting the clause will allow the perpetuation of the legacy of apartheid in the basic education system that continues to disadvantage and marginalise the majority of learners.

Chairperson of the committee Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba said there was an agreement on the clause proposing compulsory attendance of school from Grade R as that will ensure qualitative preparation of learners to enable them to cope well at school throughout their basic schooling trajectory.

Mbinqo-Gigaba said the committee considers the public hearings successful thus far given “the high level of contributions it received from participants. The committee had projected about 300 participants, but ended up with over 700 participants.

“In all the hearings held thus far we have received great numbers and quality inputs and this points to the burning desire to ensure a quality education system for the children of this country. All the inputs made will be taken into consideration when the committee deliberates on the submissions,” said Mbinqo-Gigaba.

On Sunday, the committee held last hearings on the Bill in the North West Province in Vryburg. In line with the intention to enable broader access to the work of the committee and to enable extensive consultation as much as possible, the committee has resolved to hold its public hearings in the afternoons and on weekends. The public hearings are open to every individual and organisation wishing to make their submission.

INSIDE EDUCATION 

Teachers change lives – but what makes a great teacher?

Charles Molele
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<strong>Teachers change lives – but what makes a great teacher?</strong>

ZAYD WAGHID

EXCELLENT teachers can change our lives. Researchers have shown that good teachers encourage us to think critically, reflect and learn across disciplines. These are all skills that can set us up for life.

I have had the privilege of being taught by a few brilliant teachers in my life, and I have also observed teaching excellence at the numerous schools I have visited over the years as an education academic.

Those who stand out are devoted, imaginative, motivated and motivating, and eager to overcome challenging conditions to make a positive difference in the lives of young people.

Teachers are expected to teach, but great teachers also have a wealth of knowledge and experience and are eager to learn from their learners.

They bring their cultural capital – what they have learned and experienced – to engagements with learners, colleagues and the community. In turn, they are altered by their connections with others and can positively affect those with whom they engage.

But what is it that makes a great teacher? Here are five key lessons I have learned that I believe are crucial for excellent teaching.

1. Find your teaching philosophy

Every great teacher knows that coming up with a teaching philosophy is important and it’s unique to each person. It is what your teaching is based on and is usually made up of central ideas, beliefs, values, and goals.

For instance, a teaching philosophy could be influenced by the Brazilian philosopher of education Paulo Freire’s approach. This is based on the idea that students should not be perceived as passive recipients of knowledge as if they were empty vessels. Instead, they should be seen as part of the knowledge-making process.

2. Be the student

I have spent much time researching and experimenting with different methods to connect with my students in class. It’s important for a teacher to put themselves in a student’s position.

A teacher may declare, for instance, that a student is being disruptive in class. It is essential to attempt to discover why the student is behaving that way.

I often discuss the necessity of defamiliarisation: the method of looking at something familiar in an unusual manner through a different lens. I have also found that having students draw pictures of their lives or watch interesting films in class that put them in new situations helps me understand their situations — particularly when I ask them to connect the stories of these films to their situations.

3. Cultivate a classroom community

Classroom community nurtures academic and emotional growth by providing a cooperative, supportive environment. Research shows that to build a community in the classroom, one needs to develop three types of presences: teaching (promoting a supportive, engaging learning environment), social (the capacity of learners and teachers to communicate meaningfully and collaboratively), and cognitive (how much students can build meaning and knowledge through critical thinking and reflection).

A great teacher knows that to make students think critically and do their work well they must first establish a strong social presence, building relationships with students that allow them to facilitate discussions and co-create knowledge with their classes.

For example, they might adopt a process of rotation, allowing all learners the opportunity to facilitate group discussions using social networking platforms like Facebook or FlipGrid. This is also great for bringing often quiet learners together for meaningful conversations where they are given the chance to talk and be heard.

4. Let students choose the technology

Although exceptional teachers are efficient at integrating digital tools with instructional techniques and subject matter, it’s also crucial that students be offered a variety of tools to choose from, giving them more freedom and choice in their learning. This is one way of disrupting teaching and learning practices: knowing when to give up control over things like the choice of technology.

This could mean using a low-tech teaching tool like Plickers in the classroom to test students’ knowledge using Plicker cards, or gamification software like Kahoot. Learners who prefer to play games in class or take quizzes from home could choose Kahoot.

Plickers is a valuable tool for those who want to be more formally tested in class because it lets teachers quickly and easily see if a student understands subject matter so they can adjust their teaching accordingly. It is also an intelligent way to engage students in active learning and boost class participation.

5. Get feedback: even great teachers can be better

Your students are the best judges of how well you teach.

So, it is essential to have ways for them to give you feedback on how you are performing. A great teacher should be authentic about what they do and acknowledge what worked and what did not, as well as what needs to happen for improvement.

There is no such thing as a perfect teacher because even the best teachers make mistakes.

But there must be a way to unlearn bad habits and learn new ways to do things. As a teacher it’s easy to ensure that the curriculum is complete by mainly engaging in direct instruction and leaving too little space for debates in class.

I have often showed trainee teachers a free online tool for planning lessons called Learning Designer, developed by the University College London.

It provides a step-by-step plan for creating learning activities and tests that align with specific learning objectives and outcomes. It’s based on British education scholar Dianna Laurillard’s six ways of learning.

This has helped my students to think more deeply about whether their lessons use a good mix of different teaching methods.

(Zayd Waghid, Associate professor, Cape Peninsula University of Technology)

THE CONVERSATION

ChatGPT is the push higher education needs to rethink assessment

Charles Molele
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<strong>ChatGPT is the push higher education needs to rethink assessment</strong>

THE COVID-19 pandemic was a shock to higher education systems everywhere. But while some changes, like moving lectures online, were relatively easy to make, assessment posed a much bigger challenge. Assessment can take many forms, from essays to exams to experiments and more.

Many institutions and individual academics essentially outsourced the assessment process to software. They increased their use of programs like Turnitin to check for matched wording in students’ assignments. And for closed-book, timed tests they used tools such as Proctorio, which monitor a student’s computer or phone while they write exams.

But universities did not seize this chance to reflect on what higher education is for and how assessment might be used to enhance its achievement. Instead they doubled down on the status quo, breathing a sigh of relief once isolation and lockdown orders were revoked and things could return to “normal”.

The advent of ChatGPT and similar chatbots provides another opportunity for the sector to reflect on why and how it assesses – and what higher education is for.

ChatGPT is a chatbot technology, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), that enables users to have natural, human-like conversations with a computer. It uses advanced language processing techniques to understand user input and provide natural, contextual responses.

With ChatGPT, users can converse with a computer in a way that feels like talking to a real person. It scrapes information from a large database mined from the internet and uses this to create a unique response to a prompt.

So, for instance, it can write an essay on any topic – “the advantages of breastfeeding” or “the social complexity of the refugee crisis in Europe”. It can also be trained to provide context-specific essays.

We are academics from South Africa, Australia, the UK and the US, working in fields related to education, ways of learning and teaching, and academic practice. We believe ChatGPT could be a powerful impetus to shift from understanding assessment as the assurance of an educational “product” to assessment as learning.

Used properly, it could be a valuable way to teach students about critical thinking, writing and the broader role of artificial intelligence tools like chatbots in the world today.

Threat or opportunity?

The advent of ChatGPT has prompted a variety of reactions from universities all over the world. In the UK, for instance, the reaction towards ChatGPT and higher education has veered from the hyperbolic – will AI ruin universities? – to the more measured, such as considering what students think of the technology.

If the purpose of higher education is that students memorise and summarise a body of knowledge, and that this is then certified via assessment, then ChatGPT is an existential threat. The market value of credentials is directly threatened if universities can no longer confidently assert that the texts assessed by academics have indeed been produced by their students.

But if the purpose of higher education is to nurture a transformative relationship to a particular body of knowledge that enables students to see the world – and their place in it – in new ways, then assessment takes on a vastly different meaning.

Used well, ChatGPT and similar tools can show students the wonders and responsibilities of acquiring and building powerful knowledge. It can assist rather than being seen in opposition to their learning.

Here are four ways this might happen.

Four potential applications

1. Students can reflect on articles produced by ChatGPT which have fabricated references and distorted information and then deliberate on the potential consequences of this in an era of fake news.

2. Students can be set assignments that require them to compare ChatGPT’s answers to ones they have developed and ascertain whether they know the material and how it might be represented differently.

3. ChatGPT can be used to support essay writing and to help foster a sense of mastery and autonomy. Students can analyse ChatGPT responses to note how the software has drawn from multiple sources and to identify flaws in the ChatGPT responses which would need their attention.

4. Students can be encouraged to consider the extent to which their use of ChatGPT has enabled or constrained their access to powerful knowledge. This is a chance to critically reflect on where and how the use of AI is taking place in society and their potential future professions.

There is already a multitude of ideas available online about how ChatGPT can be used to create prompts for assignments. Lecturers and students can explore these to see how they might be adapted for their own learning and teaching needs.

None of these ideas will be simple to implement. Academics will need support from their institutions in considering what such technological developments mean for their disciplines. And, we’d argue, that support must help academics to move beyond seeking ways to trick the software or to monitor students.

Innovation and inclusion

Society and the higher education sector squandered the opportunity that COVID presented to reflect on what higher education was for and how assessment might be used to enhance learning.

Rather than signalling the end of higher education, ChatGPT has instead presented the sector, and society more broadly, with another opportunity. This is a chance to develop innovative and inclusive teaching, learning, and assessment aligned to such understandings.

AUTHORS|

  1. (Sioux McKenna, Director of Centre for Postgraduate Studies, Rhodes University & Visiting Research Professor in Center for International Higher Education, Boston College, Rhodes University; Dan Dixon Adjunct Lecturer, University of Sydney;
  2. Daniel Oppenheimer Professor of Decision Science and Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University; Margaret Blackie, Associate Professor, Rhodes University; Sam Illingworth Associate Professor, Edinburgh Napier University)

THE CONVERSATION

NSFAS vows to resolve students accommodation crisis

Charles Molele
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NSFAS vows to resolve students accommodation crisis

PHUTI MOSOMANE

AFTER a series of countrywide protests by students at higher education institutions regarding the newly introduced accommodation cap and fee payment blocks, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) says it will intervene to resolve the impasse.

“NSFAS held robust consultations with the South African Union of Students (SAUS) to mitigate these challenges ahead of the commencement of the academic classes,” NSFAS spokesperson Slumezi Skosana said on Thursday.

Skosana said NSFAS will take extraordinary measures to ensure that all funded students are not left stranded “due to skyrocketing accommodation costs.”

There have been protests in most universities against a new accommodation cap of R45 000 per annum.

During a meeting held in Gauteng on Monday, NSFAS management and SAUS agreed that the student union would assist the scheme in collating details of all students who do not have accommodation and are allegedly sleeping in public places.

“The scheme is also engaging universities in a bid to receive credible information to fast-track the process. In the meantime, NSFAS is in the process of identifying alternative accommodation to be provided within the stipulated rate of R45 000 per annum,” Skosana said.

The priority will be the universities affected by the accommodation cap, and these include the University of Pretoria, University of the Witwatersrand (WITS), Stellenbosch University, University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZ), Rhodes University and Sol Plaatjie University.

NSFAS said SAUS has made an undertaking to contact all SRCs in affected universities to supply the information.

The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Innovation held an urgent meeting this week on Monday with the South African Union of Students (SAUS) and the South African Technical Vocational Education and Training Students Association (SATVETSA) where the student governance bodies expressed areas of concern across the post-school education and training sector (PSET), highlighting specific universities and colleges.

Chairperson Nompendulo Mkhatshwa, who is a former Fees Must Fall activist, said the committee supports SAUS and SATVETSA on their stance in support of the R45 000 cap on student accommodation allowances for NSFAS students.

Mkhatshwa said the exorbitant prices of student accommodation cannot be normalised as they are “tantamount to price fixing.”

The committee recommended that the Department of Higher Education and Training and NSFAS reach out with speed to the Competition Commission to address issues of alleged collusion between private accommodation providers and officials of the institutions.

“The committee reiterated that a cap on student accommodation not only looks at NSFAS-funded students, but takes into account self-funded students who need to be protected from price fixing by private accommodation providers,” said Mkhatshwa. 

INSIDE EDUCATION 

UCT students disrupt classes over fee blocks

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UCT students disrupt classes over fee blocks

PHUTI MOSOMANE

THE University of Cape Town (UCT) has confirmed that a group of students have disrupted lectures on upper campus on Wednesday over fee payment blocks and student accommodation.

“These acts of disruptions are unlawful in terms of the interim interdict granted by the Western Cape High Court on Friday, 17 February 2023. As a result, the relevant members of the executive have alerted the SAPS, who will intervene and respond to these disruptions,” the university said in a statement.

The Cape Town High Court granted an interdict on the 17th of February 2023, barring further violent protests, protecting infrastructure and students who wish to learn without disruption and move about freely on campus without intimidation.

The University said it is upholding the right to legitimate protest, but will act against any unlawful activities.

“The executive further remains committed to a process of engagement over any issues, noting that an array of measures has been put in place already to enable over 4 000 students with fee blocks to register for the 2023 academic year.”

“Only a few classes have been disrupted. The rest of the classes have continued. Where practically possible, classes scheduled for the remainder of the day are to continue while the executive activates measures to respond to the unlawful disruptive acts,” it said.

On Tuesday, UCT Student Representative Council (SRC) held a mass meeting in which it told students that the university council and its executives are prepared to let the future of 7 435 fee blocks come to an end.

“The SRC refuses to allow so many of our fellow students to fall deeper into the cycle of poverty. We will peacefully demonstrate and stand together as students against oppression. We have vowed to leave no student behind,” it said.

UCT SRC said it had a five-hour meeting with the University Council on Monday “in which the proposal to lift fee blocks was not accepted”.

It accused the university of having no care for poor and black students who are unable to afford the exorbitant costs (tuition and accommodation fees).

The DA in the Western Cape strongly also condemned the “illegal protests” currently underway at the University of Cape Town.

“We firmly support the Acting Vice Chancellor’s request that SAPS immediately respond to the matter and bring the protest under control. Today we have seen aggravated disruption and assaults on students. We hope to see the SAPS regain control and protect this institution and its students so learning may continue undisturbed.”

“Although we acknowledge their right to protest, they must do so peacefully and follow necessary protest action procedures,” DA Councillor in the City of Cape Town, Yusuf Mohamed, said.

Chairperson of the Portfolio committee on higher education Nompendulo Mkhatshwa said the committee remained concerned by the broader policy.

“Structural issues such as funding for the missing middle and thus implores once again on the DHET to finalise its work on the Ministerial Task Team on Student Funding and submits its report to the committee.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

Wits Protest: Low student morale as SRC President Aphiwe Mnyamana remains suspended

Charles Molele
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Wits Protest: Low student morale as SRC President Aphiwe Mnyamana remains suspended

PHUTI MOSOMANE

FOLLOWING the suspension of Wits University student representative (SRC) President, Aphiwe Mnyamana, a group of students continue to hold protest on university campus. 

On Tuesday, protesting university students moved from campus to campus in small groups, singing and holding placards about their challenges including financial exclusion.

Visibly tired, a handful of students gathered in the morning outside Wits Great Hall, but the numbers increased by 12 midday on Tuesday.

Members of the Nehawu’s Bheki Mkhize branch joined the protesting students who vowed to continue the fight until their demands are met. 

The South African Union of Students (SAUS) raised concern over the suspension of Mnyamana.

“A team will be sent to Wits University for talks with the management while the protest continues,” SAUS President Yandisa Ndzoyiya said.

On Sunday, the university slammed protesting students for camping outside the Vice-Chancellor Zeblon Vilakazi’s home in Johannesburg.

“Homeless students in need of accommodation have decided to peacefully sleep outside the Vice Chancellor’s house in a bid to demonstrate the state of hopelessness and how dire the situation is,” Wits SRC tweeted pictures of desperate students at midnight on Sunday.

This prompted Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) Chairperson Enerst Khoza to meet SRC leaders in Monday.

Later on the same day, the university confirmed the suspension of Mnyamana.

“We refer to Mr Aphiwe Mnyamana’s tweet posted at 20:31 tonight and confirm that Mr Mnyamana was suspended on 6 March 2023. He failed to appear at a suspension hearing scheduled today despite having been provided with ample opportunity to make representations at such hearing,” Wits management said in a statement.

It said the allegations against Mnyamana are of a serious nature and relate to conduct that infringed on the rights of others, resulted in damage to property, and the intimidation of members of the University community, amongst other things.

“He will not be allowed to access any of Wits’ precincts, participate in university activities and engage in conduct which constitutes “student privileges”, and will not be allowed to stay in Wits’ residences until the legal process is finalised,” it added.

But Mnyamana remains adamant that as soon as he secures the services of a legal representative, he will announce his next decision in light of the suspension.

He said wanted to be represented by Advocate Dali Mpofu who, by Tuesday morning was still in Parliament representing suspended Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane.

Wits Student Forum (WSF) condemned the suspension of Mnyamana.

“Wits Student Forum strongly condemn the suspension and single outing of the SRC President, and it warrants intimidation and constitute scare tactics by the University Senior Management towards student leaders,” said Student Forum Chairperson Lungile Magagula.

A group of students from Wits University. PHOTO: Eddie Mtsweni


INSIDE EDUCATION 

Higher Education Deputy Minister Buti Manamela says universities would collapse if debts were written off

Charles Molele
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Higher Education Deputy Minister Buti Manamela says universities would collapse if debts were written off

EDWIN NAIDU

AMID escalating country-wide tension over student fees at tertiary institutions across South Africa, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation Buti Manamela has warned that universities would collapse if debts estimated at R16.5 billion are wiped out.

Speaking to Inside Education, as protests began earlier in the week, Manamela said the total amount owed by students was made up of new debt, as the government injected about R2 billion in 2018 to settle the historical debt.
Manamela said some paperwork between universities and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme must be finalised to understand the extent of student debt.

However, he added that any suggestion that debts be written off would mean that “most universities will go down the drain”.

“I think what we need to be working on firstly is that graduates should be employed. And once they
have a decent income, they can repay their debt.”

“But secondly, we’re looking at ways within which the missing middle, which is those who come from households whose income is more than R350,000 per annum but up to R600,000 per annum of those that people would regard as the missing middle, can get funding at reasonable repayment terms,” he said.

Referring to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande’s academic outlook last week, Manamela said the intention is to ensure that in the 2024 academic year, there is policy certainty regarding policy and systems in place.

“It would be quite challenging to write off the debt. It has huge implications for universities. And they would return to the national fiscus and say, look, you’re asking us to write off the debt. You’ll have to give us the money; I don’t think we have that. We are battling to raise funds to fund postgraduate students, which is, for me, the next bigger challenge for now,” Manamela said.

According to Nzimande, for the current financial year, NSFAS has approved the provisional funding of a record milestone of 1,083,055 students at a projected budget of R47.6 billion.

All NSFAS students are registering without making any upfront payments. Unlike last year, NSFAS has this year made upfront payments to universities and colleges to ensure that they register all NSFAS students and for student allowances to be paid.

The Minister has planned to meet with university registrars to attend to all matters relating to concerns raised by students and parents on the delays in providing information to facilitate registration by NSFAS.

NSFAS has introduced a NSFAS Bank account to ensure beneficiaries are paid directly and on time by eliminating third-party dependencies. NSFAS has also enabled a direct payment platform and student accommodation platform to address previously experienced challenges that significantly impacted student well-being.

But Manamela said the Ministry had pushed for tertiary institutions to refrain from withholding student results, making getting a job for graduates impossible.

“Some universities have responded positively, and I suppose, as long as we, because I think that’s how things work in this, is that you want to put something as you know, as policy or as regulation for them to so as is now, there is no
policy.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

Controversial, colourful UCT Vice-Chancellor leaves a divided varsity dubbed “the best in Africa”

Charles Molele
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Controversial, colourful UCT Vice-Chancellor leaves a divided varsity dubbed “the best in Africa”

EDWIN NAIDU

LOVE or loathe her, in her five tumultuous years, Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng has taken the University of Cape Town on an exhilarating, sometimes exasperating, even exciting, roller-coaster ride since her appointment on 1 July 2018.

She leaves behind a university deemed the best in Africa – the best-performing, according to five global rankings: Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2023, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2023, U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Rankings 2022–2023, Center for World University Rankings 2022–2023, and Shanghai Ranking’s Academic Ranking of World Universities 2022.

Before she took office, they featured in one, however, the tenure of the first black female South African to achieve a PhD in mathematics education began at UCT on a sad note.

Just three weeks into the job, UCT was plunged into crisis when Professor Bongani Mayosi took his life.

He had attempted to leave twice under former vice-chancellor Dr Max Price but was given reassurances about his future, including the university’s offer of a Pro-Vice-Chancellor role which never materialised.

The 157-page report by Professor Thandabantu Nhlapo, Dr Somadoda Fikeni, Professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela and Ms Nomfundo Walaza dismissed the notion that students had pushed the professor over the edge. UCT executive was also criticised for not adequately responding to the warning signals from Mayosi, which showed someone struggling emotionally and needing serious intervention.

The panel was told of several incidents, one in October or November 2016, where Mayosi was to address members of the Western Cape Government at a hotel in the city. He did not show up and was found sitting in his car at a car park nearby, staring into space. While attending a conference in Egypt in 2016, a colleague reported that Mayosi had problems speaking.

In London, following the visit to Egypt, Mayosi did not arrive at a session in which he was scheduled to participate.

A family friend found him in his hotel room, apparently after he had been walking around the city.

Although Phakeng was not yet in charge during Mayosi’s most challenging period during the 2015 student protests, she faced criticism for failing to follow the panel’s recommendations in its report in 2020.

During the second year of her tenure, UCT was shocked at the brutal murder of Uyinene Mrwetyana, one of around 47 student killings at tertiary institutions in 2019. It brought safety at universities into the spotlight.

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown failed to keep UCT out of the news.

Former Ombud Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa accused Phakeng of bullying in a report, alleging that the outgoing council chair Sipho Pityana had not acted on the complaints.

Phakeng labelled the report inconsistent with the terms of reference. But Pityana left this hot potato for the new council, which also ignored it.

More drama followed in 2021, when fires on Table Mountain spread, ravaging the Jagger library and
other buildings. UCT could not escape the news as the clean-up operation took shape.

In 2022 came the bombshell allegations that council chairperson Babalwa Ngonyama allegedly lied to Senate.

“Through all these, UCT took leadership of all the five major university world rankings. It is important to note that when I took office in 2018, UCT led in only one world ranking and the Business school had fallen off all the rankings. People also forget that we had lost students from our feeder schools when I took office. Today we have them back, and we are telling a different story about UCT’s performance under my leadership. I am a decisive leader who holds people accountable, which has produced results,” she told Inside Education.

When news of the end of her reign emerged, it was the former Stellenbosch University Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Brink, a member of UCT’s remuneration subcommittee, who initially made an offer on 9 February to drop the governance charges and disband the panel led by retired Supreme Court of Appeal president, Judge Lex Mpati, in return for her departure.

This was stated in a letter by attorney Halton Cheadle. Retired judge Dennis Davis also expressed a view on the alleged evidence against Phakeng.

Phakeng signed the letter accepting the offer to leave, citing that her position had become untenable. But the council said the panel would continue its governance probe following condemnation by the Black Academic Caucus of the proposal to withdraw it if Phakeng went.

In recent months, Ngonyama, along with Phakeng, were persona non grata and instructed to stay away from council meetings. At the same time, the governance charges against them for their role in the departure of 61-year-old Argentinian Associate Professor Lis Lange DVC: Teaching and Learning at the end of April were being formulated.

Lange’s grievance was not being given a chance to finish her work.

It led to Senate breaching its own governance rules in admitting her complaint without the protocols they usually employ. Her letter was read out to Senate by Professor Sue Harrison, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and
Internationalisation, while Phakeng was abroad.

She disputed Ngonyama’s version of events leading to her departure before the Senate, wanting to end speculation and misrepresentation by the council chair. She signed the NDA on 17 March 2022.

Digesting the news that Phakeng had gone, a Council Member said: “Anti-transformation is the real enemy here. Just wish some people did not sell us out so badly, not referring to the Chair, but those with struggle credentials.”

A staff member said UCT could start from a clean slate and build on Phakeng’s good works.

Controversies and colour, she provided aplenty. Despite the heat, in September 2022, Phakeng won the inaugural Africa Education Medal, honouring changemakers who transform education.

Television personality Oprah Winfrey sent congratulations in a video.

Phakeng’s exit won’t end the probe into the governance allegations. But it will deprive South Africa
of one of higher education’s most vocal, sometimes outrageous, and outspoken voices.

Yet she kept silent when celebrated spinal surgeon Professor Robert Dunn was investigated for a
crude email in which he used the term “clinic bitch” against a young black medic.

He apologised, labelling it a joke. It was not funny. Phakeng addressed it internally, however. But things remain the
same.

The same month, the Twitterati vice-chancellor was endorsed when UCT was voted the
coolest university in a youth survey. No other vice-chancellor in the country posts videos exercising or dares to do the Jerusalema Dance challenge with a beaming smile. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdgn64U9LmY].

While the dust settles and UCT focuses on searching for a successor, Phakeng has returned to Johannesburg.

She plans next to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro.

INSIDE EDUCATION

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