2.7 discussion on some priority concerns for transformation

CPUT

2.7 diScuSSion on SomE PrioriTY concErnS for TranSformaTion

following the presentation, there was an engagement on various issues. Key issues that dominated the discussion include the following:

2.7.1 student-university relations

• The dynamics of universities’ engagement with students and of students’ engagement with their universities, including through the Student representative councils (Srcs), have shifted significantly in the wake of the #fmf protests. • Students, who sit on an increasing number of governance bodies, now play a crucial role in shaping and transforming the institutional cultures of their alma maters, including those of the residences. However, major cultural concerns persist around preparing and supporting students properly to engage fully in the benefits of a university education. in particular, greater efforts need to be made to welcome, include and nurture young black students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds at the university. • The nature of universities’ engagement with parents has shifted, with many parents, particularly those who are making a significant contribution to the payment of tuition fees, seeking a say in their childrens’ higher education. in this regard, universities should consider carefully how best they can communicate that they are now taking over the duty of care for these students from their parents, and how that pastoral role may

best be implemented. one idea is to hold an induction celebration which parents may attend. • As the outlook and demands of students continuously shift from one generation to the next, so the universities need to evolve as institutions capable of communicating with their students and meeting their changing needs. • The institutions’ programmes and policies, particularly for helping new students to orientate, should be crafted accordingly. universities must also acknowledge and respond to the symptoms of trauma that are evident among a significant percentage of their student cohort and which have led to suicide in some cases. Such trauma may subsist deeply, and may be triggered by a number of actions and situations. • Accordingly, universities should ensure access to wellness centres for students, and consider other kinds of support that may be provided. • In addition to the material challenges that many students face, such as hunger and inadequate accommodation, many also face issues around socialisation, bringing damaging sets of behaviours from their home and community environments. When these behaviour patterns are addressed, it can also produce positive effects for the communities from which the students come, upon their return home. • In the aftermath of the #FMF protests, efforts need to be made by both the universities and the students to find common cause in addressing their respective issues. in this regard, Src

representatives and other student leaders should take greater care of the actual problems experienced by individuals within the student body. • The restoration of relationships between the students and the academic/ management body should also address the hurt that has been experienced by some senior academics and university leaders, as well as the need to support university staff and workers on the ground.

Participants raising issues from the floor

sECTiON 2 SHarinG TranSformaTion lESSonS and iniTiaTiVES

2.7.2 Gender inequality and masculinity

Harassment of, and violence against, women, which takes place on a daily basis on campuses and across the country, is being enacted within a patriarchy characterised by a hostile, alienating masculinity. in this environment: female academics and students are undervalued as a matter of course, and sexual assault is commonplace. male irresponsibility and entitlement are promoted among boys and men who have been brought up and continually cared for by women and, literally, allowed to dominate the conversation, excluding and silencing women. a number of actions may be taken to counter these attitudes and change this behaviour; and ensure that power and the capacity to shape socio-economic development is shared more equally among men and women. depatriation could be introduced into the school curriculum. rites of passage, led by men who have “been to the mountain”, may be introduced within the culture of universities and further education and training (fET) colleges to foster more responsible young men, educating them about accountability and the importance of realising the consequences of their actions, and promoting their spiritual growth. Senior male and female academics and managers should act as role models to male and female students in promoting gender equality among them. in addition, higher education institutions should continue to collaborate with civil society and government agencies around the promotion of gender equality; and to produce effective collaboration in response to sexual assaults, including through the establishment of appropriate support structures for the survivors of such violence. it was also mentioned that the centre for the Study of Violence and reconciliation (cSVr) provides psychosocial services within communities that may provide a model for support that could be offered at higher education institutions.

2.7.3 institutional and systemic challenges

The institutional organs responsible for driving transformation should be placed at the heart of their organisations in order to drive their agendas effectively. for example, at cPuT the responsibility for transformation is located within the Vice-chancellor’s office. However, in some higher education institutions, little or no budget is allocated to fund the structures established to implement and oversee transformation. in such cases, it would appear that these structures have been set up to fail. other issues include: • The lack of support for transformation, including to promote gender equality; • Affording students of the best possible socio-economic opportunities upon graduation, is experienced particularly strongly at the TVET colleges. in some ways, these colleges are treated as the poor cousins of the higher education institutions within the tertiary sector – they are not as well-funded and, with much closer accountability to the national government, they lack the managerial autonomy enjoyed by the universities. meanwhile, although the government’s policies to promote gender equality and counter gender-based violence apply to the whole post-school system, relatively little has been done

to implement transformation at the TVET colleges, which have only relatively recently started to establish their own governing councils. • In this regard, the commitment to articulation across the postschool sector should include collaboration with the universities to promote transformation efforts, in particular through the provision of capacity-building and training for TVETs, as well as through the establishment and funding of joint programmes and forums.