Find agreement on higher education needs, strategies

IN THE debate about higher education, #FeesMustFall and the real financial constraints the country faces, there are fundamentals we must all agree on. If we don’t, I am afraid we may continue talking past each other as seems to be the case now.

When we see university buildings going up in smoke, as recently happened at the University of KwaZulu-Natal where students allegedly burnt a law library, the temptation is to offer a knee-jerk reaction that is confined to that specific incident. And the reaction, quite rightly so, is that of condemnation.

We did it when we saw footage of flames erupting from the windows of North-West University’s administration buildings which were also home to the science centre. We repeated our outrage when we learnt about the burning down of the University of Johannesburg’s auditorium and how that affected some e-laboratories.

Unless this is addressed, and speedily, there will come a time when corporate funding for our universities will dry up. Take UJ’s auditorium as an example. The building was donated by a large insurance firm which may be discouraged from doing so in the future.

Students have a right to protest, but it is my view that a framework on student protest needs to be established and agreed upon. In its absence, we are going to end up destroying the physical infrastructure of our institutions of higher learning.

That framework must assert that the destruction of university property during student protests is counter-productive. The more politically attuned would call it counter-revolutionary.

I don’t see how the destruction of books and literature, such as happened at UKZN, advances the cause of higher education and students’ struggles.

In fact it robs future generations of access to knowledge and information.

Second, let us agree that arson is a criminal offence. It cannot be that students who have burnt down buildings are allowed to get away with impunity. Police must investigate, suspects must be prosecuted and the guilty must be sentenced.

It is unreasonable of anyone to expect the rule of law to be suspended when students are at fault or have committed a crime.

But here I must pause and remark that our students are picking up this culture of impunity from us adults.

When we make decisions that cost the country hundreds of billions of rands and face no censure or consequences, what prevents students from thinking that they can cause R20 million in damage to a university building and face no consequences?

Our political culture must sometimes be blamed for what is going on at our universities when it comes to student behaviour. We have taught them well.

However, most critically, we must all agree that higher education plays an important role in building an inclusive economy.

In a world that is increasingly placing an emphasis on inclusivity, an educated populace is no longer a luxury. Nations need to marshal their resources to ensure their students are not denied an education, including higher education, because of affordability. On that, there should be no disagreement.

The question is whether South Africa has the resources and political will to make higher education free.

With our taxes properly allocated and spent, I believe we have the resources at least to move us significantly forward.

We may want to start with tuition being free at undergraduate level and expect parents, scholarships and bursaries to cover living expenses and boarding fees where applicable.

Of course, that would imply more tax. And this is where we may come unstuck. There is a perception that our taxes are not properly managed. To this extent, there may be resistance by the taxpayer towards additional tax.

More than ever, all stakeholders need to reach consensus on this sensitive matter that is threatening to destroy our higher learning institutions.

McCauley is president of Rhema Family Churches and a co-chairman of the National Religious Leaders Council.