To tackle the up-to-now slow transformation in South Africa’s tertiary sector, Higher Education Minister Dr Blade Nzimande on Wednesday announced that his department had established a Ministerial Oversight Committee on the Transformation of South African Universities.

He told a media briefing, in Rosebank, that the committee was one of the key interventions recommended by the Soudien Report – undertaken by the Ministerial Committee on Transformation and Social Cohesion and the Elimination of Discrimination in Public Higher Education, appointed by then Education Minister Naledi Pandor, in 2008, and headed by Professor Crain Soudien.

The report found that transformation in the country’s higher education system was “painfully slow”, particularly in terms of racism and sexism, while redress was sluggish. It also found disjuncture between policy and the real-life experiences of students and staff, particularly in learning, teaching, curriculum and languages, residence life and governance.

University of KwaZulu-Natal Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Malegapuru Makgoba would chair the committee.

University of Fort Hare Vice-Chancellor Dr Mvuyo Tom, University of the Witwatersrand transformation and employment equity director Nazeema Mohamed, Congress of South African Trade Unions second deputy president Zingiswa Losi, University of the Free State’s International Institute for Studies in Race, Reconcialiation and Social Justice faculty member Andre Keet, University of the Western Cape Lifelong Learning division director and South African Qualifications Authority chairperson Professor Shirley Walters and National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union deputy president Joe Mpisi were members of the committee.

Nzimande stated that the committee would monitor progress on transformation at public universities and advise him, as the Minister, on policies aimed at countering racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination, while promoting social cohesion.

“In instances of discrimination [or any acts suggesting poor transformation], we will call on the university council to take action or report the incident to the police…the committee will determine its modus operandi,” he indicated.

Referring to the racial incident at a student residence at the University of the Free State, in 2008, the Minister said: “Initiation has no place in a democratic South Africa; sometimes this takes racial forms and can be explosive.”

The committee would also advise on the roles of universities in promoting the development of a free, fair and nondiscriminatory society beyond the world of academia.

Nzimande, however, pointed out that the committee would, on its own, not be able to tackle transformation issues in South Africa’s universities.

“Such transformation involves the improvement of the quality of teaching and learning; the elimination of weak administrative systems; the elimination of discriminatory practices based on gender, race, class and historical imbalances; the provision of adequate infrastructure...,” he said.

Overcoming the challenge of slow transformation in the tertiary sector would also be boosted by expanding access to tertiary education and improving research throughout the system.

“Transformation in this broader sense must, perforce, be the aim of the entire system of governance and management at the national and institutional levels, and it is beyond the scope of the oversight committee,” Nzimande urged.

Meanwhile, the committee would study and evaluate the effectiveness of transformation frameworks, charters, polices and strategies of all universities, as well as their yearly reports and develop a transformation charter and benchmarks for the university sector as a whole.

It would also produce a yearly report on policies and practices that impact on transformation at universities, which would also set out achievements and challenges.

Further, the committee would propose a reporting mechanism to track universities’ performance in terms of the set institutional and national transformation targets and benchmarks, while best practices would have to be identified.