2.4 The role of Transformation manager’s forum (Tmf): universities South africa (uSaf

sECTiON 2 SHarinG TranSformaTion lESSonS and iniTiaTiVES

2.3 THE rolE of THE TranSformaTion manaGEr’S forum (Tmf): uniVErSiTiES SouTH africa (uSaf)

mr George mvalo

chairperson: Transformation manager’s forum: uSaf

universities South africa (uSaf) has established a Transformation managers’ forum (Tmf) which is representative of Transformation directors of higher education institutions. Some universities have established transformation units to coordinate transformation across the institution. broadly, the Tmf has sought to position and resource transformation efforts for maximum effect, whatever the particular structure that has been established at the university. in pursuit of its goals, the Tmf has developed the Transformation barometer that seeks to engage the commitment of individual university councils in the pursuit of four common goals. • The first goal is to promote inclusive, cohesive institutional cultures that make all people feel welcome. universities should be required to demonstrate the establishment of such a culture. • Second, universities must promote equity and redress.

after 25 years of often paying little more than lip service, it is important that universities take action to address the legacy of historical inequity. The relative lack of women and black professors should be remedied as a matter of urgency. in this regard, the excuse that it can take up to 20 years to train a professor is a poor one. for example, an nGap-style programme adopted by cPuT created professors in ten years. instead of problematising equitable recruitment, universities should pursue it. The Tmf launched an equity management forum in march 2019, with the goal of not only addressing diversity in terms of numbers but also in terms of the quality of the academic and institutional environment, which can either enable or disable individuals from disadvantaged groups. • Third, universities should promote gender equality and take greater action against gender-based violence and the marginalisation of women. a further meeting of the Tmf is planned to highlight this issue. • Fourth, universities must foster ethical governance. This should entail helping to build a new cadre of student leaders, for example, by encouraging them to join a wider range of university committees. The country needs a new generation of leaders to foster more national development, including by addressing corruption.

The Tmf has also increasingly recognised the importance of ensuring that transformation at universities is properly resourced. annual operating budgets for this work range from about r600 000 to r2 million, producing distinct approaches to transformation. The amount and kind of funding and resources made available both indicates and shapes the value attached to transformation work at the various universities.

a range of funding sources have been tapped. Some universities seek to leverage skills and training funding, although such budgets are context-bound and may not be used for some kinds of transformation work. Some universities also offer funds for strategic redress. in the absence of properly resourced and funded initiatives, little progress is likely to be made. Given that the pace of transformation remains slow, new ways of accessing further resources and funds to accelerate the process need to be identified, while existing ones should be exploited more comprehensively.