University working on issues of transformation

Dear Asemahle Gwala,

Thank you for taking time to write about a need to accelerate transformation at Nelson Mandela University (“Pay attention to the students’ plight”, September 26).

As you may have read in my inaugural speech, the transformation of the university is foremost on the agenda of Nelson Mandela University.

The university has and continues to make serious strides in this regard.

For instance, in the area of creating access to academically deserving students from the poor and working class backgrounds, our success is unparalleled.

It is against this backdrop that as Mandela University we welcomed the government announcement of free higher education for students from the poor and working class backgrounds.

Notwithstanding the systemic challenges experienced by NSFAS in the rollout of the new funding policy, we believe that the government intervention will go a long way in ameliorating the condition of the poor and the working class in our country.

It will lay a firm foundation – if optimised by young people – towards breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty, as education is a key allocator to life chances.

It is likely to catapult our country into an upward trajectory towards realising our human development outcomes as a nation and on the road to a truly humane and humanist society.

Mandela University has begun the journey of curriculum transformation.

The university has launched a foundational module on social consciousness and sustainable futures, cocreated with students.

Momentum towards institution-wide curriculum transformation is on the rise with the academy at advanced stages in formulating curriculum principles that will inform the transformation of the academy at Mandela University.

All faculties are engaging on the debate on decolonisation and Africanisation of the academy.

All this work is underserving pinned by the principle of cocreation.

The university is also reviewing the language policy.

These and many other interventions are aimed at tackling the transformation of the university.

The university is not insular from the challenges of the broader society.

It has to deal within its own limited means with challenges that are not necessarily its own creation.

The issue of student poverty is one example.

In response to this challenge, we have sustained our partnerships with the private sector to address this matter and are looking at expanding our partnerships in this regard.

We have also welcomed the initiative of a Food Bank started by our students and have now put governance arrangements in place through a Food Bank working group to ensure that the beneficiaries of this initiative are served in a humane manner and thus enhancing their dignity.

At the core of this is inculcating the Mandela way – with humility, dignity and fostering human solidarity and community.

Mandela University has committed to integrate and collaborate with the community as part of its commitment to serve society.

Our approach to student housing is informed by the idea of forging a partnership with the city to create a more student friendly city.

Part of this work is the creation of a student village hub in the city.

We are focusing on improving the quality of the ac- credited off-campus accommodation in collaboration with service providers.

We are also working with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and SAPS to improve safety and security, among others.

The end goal is the creation of living and learning hubs in the city that are conducive and responsive to the learning imperatives of our students.

We are, therefore, committed to creating an equivalent experience for our students who stay in accredited residences in and around the city centre.

For example, we are working on a plan to strengthen Wi-Fi provided by the accredited off-campus residences.

While we have no control over the non-accredited residences, student housing is creating a database of credible non-accredited residences for referral of our students who for various reasons do not stay at accredited residences.

Plans to add about 2,000 beds to our on-campus housing stock are advancing towards implementation.

In collaboration with national government and other players, we will continue to search for innovative solutions to accelerate the resolution of the student housing challenge whose increased aggregate demand is in part an upshot of the new student funding policy, which we have welcomed.

Our university is open to engagement and is committed to working with our students and the broader stakeholders in tackling university transformation, consolidating the sustainability of the university and ensuring alignment to the vision of the university.

Nelson Mandela University’s transformation journey is a collective undertaking that requires agency from all university stakeholders.

I, therefore, enjoin the students to continue to make their contribution in shaping Mandela University to be a dynamic, African university recognised for its leadership in generating cutting-edge knowledge for a sustainable future.

Nelson Mandela University

vice-chancellor Prof Sibongile Muthwa

Nelson Mandela University’s transformation journey is a collective undertaking that requires agency from all university stakeholders