Programme director
Chancellor of the University of Pretoria, Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu
Chairperson of Council, Ms NT Mtoba
Vice-chancellors and deputy vice-chancellors of our universities
Academics, staff and students
Representatives of the worker's unions, the convocation, alumni
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
It is a great honour for me to be invited to speak at this inauguration ceremony. I would like to extend my warmest congratulations on behalf of the Minister, Dr Nzimande and that of my department to Professor Cheryl de la Rey on your inauguration as Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria. Your appointment is an exciting one and I am looking forward to working with you.
Prof de la Rey is a trail blazer in the higher education arena as she has served this sector in various leadership positions over many years. She comes to this position having occupied the position as chief executive officer of the Council on Higher Education. Previously, she was the deputy vice-chancellor for research at the University of Cape Town. She also spent some time at the National Research Foundation and has a distinguished academic career as a research psychologist.
She has served in several committees of the Department of Education and has helped us shape policy for our higher education system. I believe that Professor de la Rey's appointment is hugely significant for the University of Pretoria given her knowledge of the higher education sector, her understanding of the complexities of the policy environment and her immense experience as an academic or researcher as well as the wisdom of understanding the complex institution, a university.
Recently, the minister announced in his budget speech that Professor De la Rey will chair a task team to explore the possibility of establishing an appropriate post-school institution in the Northern Cape. On a more personal level, I know that Professor de la Rey is widely respected. She is known to be a person of great integrity. She has a sharp intellect and has proven herself as a wise leader in several different contexts.
It is regrettable that in our 180 years of higher education in South Africa, Professor De la Rey is probably the seventh female Vice-Chancellor and one of very few women heads of Universities. In 2008, the department in partnership with Health Resources and Services Administration (HERSA) and the Council on Higher Education (CHE) hosted a conference focusing on Institutional Cultures and higher Education Leadership: Where are the Women?
A declaration was signed at this conference calling for action to improve gender equity in academic, administrative and executive leadership in higher education at all levels. I am pleased to say that we have had some measure of success as this appointment signifies a positive development and commitment on the part of the sector towards the transformation of our higher education.
Universities no longer have to be male dominated domains. There is much to be done, but we are beginning to see progress. We know that having more women in the management of universities is not a sufficient condition for greater gender equality in the system and it is clear that a great deal remains to be done.
This is not the sole responsibility of women vice-chancellors, although people of Professor de la Rey's leadership capability have an important role to play as role models and mentors. The onus does rest on the senior management and leadership of this sector to ensure greater equity and sustained opportunities for women in our universities.
Research is a key area here and in all her different capacities in the system, Cheryl has played a role in developing women in research. I am confident that she will continue to do so and that the University of Pretoria will continue to be a key research institution and will lead on matters of equity and social justice.
Professor de la Rey herself conducted her own Doctor of Philosophy research on the experiences of women academics in South Africa, a ground breaking study for South Africa itself. Her work has laid the base for much of the academic and institutional work in this area since 1998 and Professor de la Rey herself has been involved in several of these initiatives.
Research shows that in South Africa, the proportion of women in senior management in general, increased from 18 percent in 2004 to 36 percent in 2007. We are determined, however, to ensure that this picture changes as we have made gender equality one of our five key themes underpinning the five year strategic plan for the Department of Higher education and Training.
The University of Pretoria is strategically placed as a research intensive university to give attention to these matters. Professor de la Rey leaves a vacancy as she was the chair of the department's research outputs evaluation panel. I am sure that she will miss that work as I am told she performed it with a great deal of enthusiasm, commitment and passion.
The department benefited significantly from her excellent contribution in this regard. Professor de la Rey's insights and extensive knowledge of the research environment both locally and internationally ensured that the research evaluation process ran smoothly and that only research of the highest quality is subsided. We believe that, in turn, this has set high quality standards for the entire sector whose research publications are subsidised.
As the Department of Higher Education and Training, we have made a commitment to continue supporting all our institutions to ensure that infrastructure and resource needs are met. This is so that institutions are able to focus on their core business of teaching, learning and research, to ensure global competitiveness and overall contribution to the knowledge economy and enrichment of personal lives of individuals through education. This commitment is reinforced by the reconfiguration of the old Department of Education into two Departments of Basic Education and Higher Education and Training.
Professor de la Rey has a daunting task ahead of her. Vice-chancellors today face many competing interests and priorities. But the trajectory of our system is clear; we must do better to graduate students, allow access to high performing but financially needy students and improve the quality of our teaching and research for the future.
The issue of skills shortage continues to pose a serious challenge for the country. As shown in our human resource development strategy for South Africa, which we launched last month, the government is determined to address this challenge and our higher education institutions have a crucial role to play in this regard.
The human resource development strategy, amongst others, highlights the low participation and throughput rates of African and Coloured students in the fields of science, engineering and technology. It identifies this as a persistent challenge facing higher education institutions. These are critical areas for economic growth and we need to work together, as the higher education sector, to look for solutions.
In addition to their role in producing the necessary human resource for economic development, we look to our higher education institutions for leadership in the consolidation of democracy and social justice. It is widely acknowledged that the enhancement of democracy lays the basis for greater participation in economic and social life generally.
Participation in the economy, in turn, contributes to political and social stability and the capacity of citizens to exercise and enforce democratic rights and participate effectively in decision making. This means that all who have leadership responsibilities at our institutions (students, academics, workers, management and external stakeholders) should work towards inculcating democratic and constitutional values within the higher education community.
Our graduates should have respect for our Constitution and an interest in the development of our country, greater social justice and the eradication of poverty. They must also have an understanding of our complex past and the effect that it has on our role as citizens in today's South Africa.
The standards that the university has set for itself are high and I am confident that under the capable leadership of Prof de la Rey you can only grow from strength to strength and achieve even greater success. A well ran university can play a powerful role in educating young people to be capable, thinking citizens, engaged with the complexities of our society.
I would like to reiterate my department's full confidence in Professor de la Rey's leadership of this institution. I trust that with the support of your team, you will succeed in making the University of Pretoria not just a great institution in terms of research and academic excellence, but a space where everyone will feel at home, be welcomed and given a fair opportunity to grow both academically and professionally.
Vice-Chancellor De La Rey; congratulations and I wish you success as you take over the helm of this University.
Thank you.
Source: Department of Education
