The Vice Chancellor
Chair of council and council members
Senior management
Staff and students
It is a great pleasure for me to be here today and share some of my thoughts with you. This has been a day filled with interactions with various sectors of the university and a tour of the campus. Firstly, I would like to congratulate Professor Mbati on his installation as the Vice-Chancellor of this institution. The role of the leadership at our institutions is critical for the success of our higher education system.
This is in fact the first university I have visited since my appointment as Minister of Higher Education and Training. I chose to visit this university first deliberately as it faces all the challenges which we need to tackle in the provision of quality and accessible higher education and training.
This includes the fact that this is a rural university, a former Bantustan institution, and attracts some of the poorest students in our higher education sector. The challenge for the higher education sector as a whole is that of attracting and ensuring the access and success of black African students in our country. I will come to some of the other challenges later.
The University of Venda was established 27 years ago with a vision, mission and purpose moulded and shaped by apartheid policies. The desire at the time was to delimit access to higher education and prescribe the nature and intent of higher education. The post 1994 period has brought changes to the understanding of higher education which is reflected in our policies and programmes.
A critical moment for this university was the re-designation of the institution as a comprehensive university. This acquires greater significance given the context of this institution and geographic location. I am heartened to note that the university has taken on the dual challenge of transforming into a comprehensive institution and maintaining and strengthening its focus on rural development with due attention being paid to the need for the institution to be responsive to the needs of the region.
Having said that, I would like to highlight a few critical areas that should be at the forefront of your work as a university:
The investment in infrastructure has come at a time when student demand and registration at this institution exceeded its capacity. I have received for consideration the university's report on its academic re-engineering exercise titled “Univen's Programme Portfolio Review.” Having considered this report I have noted that for the university to implement the plan, it would require additional infrastructure, as it was originally built to accommodate a maximum of around 5000 students. This has resulted in a shortage in facilities such as lecture rooms and residences to house about 10 000 students currently enrolled at the institution. I hope that some of these shortages will be addressed by the infrastructure projects that the University has embarked on, some of which are funded by the department.
Projects funded by the department include the:
* new lecture hall complex
* new life sciences and chemistry block
* new environmental sciences building
* new student administration building
* extension and refurbishment to the library
* conversion of vacated space in the existing physical sciences building to physical sciences, mathematics and statistics.
Some of the details of the R495 million earmarked funding that my department has allocated to the University include:
* for the period 2002/03 to 2006/07 a total of R169 million was allocated for institutional reconstruction
* for the period 2007/08 to 2009/10 a further R249 million was allocated for infrastructure needs as well as academic planning and teaching and curriculum development
* for the period 2010/11 and 2011/12, R77 million has been designated for the science and technology buildings, teacher training and the construction of new student residences.
Today's turning of the soil signals the commencement of construction of new infrastructure that will enhance and complement the operations of this institution.
There has been a strong partnership between the university, the council and the Department of Higher Education and Training. On the request of the council of this university, assistance has been provided in undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the university's management and academic structures, systems and processes early in 2006.
Based on the outcome of that analysis, and in consultation with all key institutional stakeholders, the University developed a recovery plan. It is heartening to note that the recovery plan has contributed to the improvement of the financial and operational viability of the university.
Alongside the focus on infrastructure must be a drive to improve teaching and learning. This must translate into improved success rates and graduate outputs. Targets set by the department are achievable and must be at the forefront of all activities of our institutions. Closely linked to this is the need to ensure that the range of courses and programmes offered by the university meet the needs of the economy, including the regional economy and are closely aligned to the mission and vision of this university. I believe that the academic viability audit was undertaken to support this specific goal and that issues of relevance are considered along with sustainability.
Financial aid support and bursaries increased from R93 million in 2007 to R131 million in 2008, which demonstrates the university and the department's commitment to assist students from disadvantaged backgrounds to access higher education. You may be aware that one of my first tasks following my appointment was to initiate a review of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). The report of the ministerial committee is to be submitted for my consideration at the end of this year. This review amongst other purposes must address the issue of access and affordability and provide some guidance on how these problems can be tackled. I trust that this institution has responded to the call by the ministerial committee for submissions as that would assist us in understanding the experiences of students especially at our rural institutions.
There are some very specific challenges facing this university and other similarly located institutions. These include:
* Redress in terms of infrastructure, quality and innovation
* Building capacity for undergraduate training and high quality research
* The need for differentiation and specialisation by various higher education institutions. For instance rural universities need a particular focus on skills for rural development, including agriculture and the engineering faculty should include agricultural engineering
* Training, attracting and retaining high quality academic staff.
These points reflect some of the key transformation challenges of an institution such as this. One of the main aspirations of my Ministry is to see vibrant institutional forums guided by a common vision to develop an excellent rural university. We would like to see a vibrant partnership within the university and between the university and the surrounding community. For example, not far from here in Giyani, there is a very important national pilot project by the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform. This university needs to get closer, provide support to and learn from such important national projects.
In conclusion, I would like wish you well in your efforts to ensure the continued success and vibrancy of this university and pledge the support of my department to assist you.
Thank you to the Vice Chancellor, members of the council, senior management and students for contributing to the events of today.
Source: Department of Education (http://www.education.gov.za/)
