Fast-track young varsities
ADAM Habib’s article “Citizens’ anger can be used to devise a new political agenda” (May 7) refers.
The “educo-economic” reality of South Africa, unfortunately for Habib, cannot be cut off from the sociopolitical engineering in this country’s education history.
How is the definition of “distinct mandates” for our universities going to be approached by whatever recommended or appointed unit?
In 2013 the vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town, addressing the issue of “bedrock and research” demarcation of the country’s universities, said: “Not every university can or should be a research university, but every country needs at least one.”
There is no denying that young and historically predominantly black universities will, within the content and context of Professor Habib’s recommendation, get apportioned a different set of mandates from universities on par with UCT.
If Professor Habib’s recommendation receives favour, it must be accompanied by an agenda on fast-tracking the growth of young universities in the country and historically disadvantaged universities like the University of Fort Hare, the University of the North (now the University of Limpopo) and the University of Zululand. — Monde Ndandani, Dutywa