EDITOR – Without fail and irrespective of what Government does, students will never cease from demanding more. What started in 1996 with the introduction of NSFAS and a budget of R50 million (national student financial aid scheme) which was conceptualised to assist indigent students gain access to higher education, ballooned to a R3 billion scheme and there seems to be no end to the demands put by students.
I have looked at how these crises are being managed and came across a comment made by the Vice Chancellor of Wits University a few years back when the Fees must Fall protest reached fever pitch with buildings being set alight and vehicles torched. The VC said very candidly that they, meaning Vice Chancellors (Principals) were not qualified/trained or skilled to manage such violent protest.
My limited research indicates that most if not all Vice Chancellors are accomplished researchers and academics in fields that cross the spectrum of disciplines from Law, Theology, Physics, Dentistry, Medical Science, Mathematics, Political Science and even Botany. When looking at these qualifications one would conclude that none of these disciplines meet the needs of the day.
Being an accomplished physicist or dentist does not equip you to be a good manager. Managing a small academic department of 10 academic staff and 500 students who don’t really cross the path of the professor. I believe that therein lies the problem in that Vice Chancellors are chosen for their academic skill and not their ability and experience in management.
I also need to mention that on average the University budgets run very close or even higher that a Billion Rand each and most of these Vice Chancellors are clueless about financial management and have to rely on good faith on the expertise of the administrators. Very much like how there is so much of focus on the SOE’s financial stability, one needs to look closely at the universities.
I believe that they must be more accountable for how they run these so-called places of higher learning.
D Boardwin
Durban
*Letter shortened – Editor.
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