Higher Education students must develop solutions for the poor - Western Cape MEC for Education
Posted by Ingrid Thomson | 24 Apr, 2008Last night (23rd April 2008) MEC Cameron Dugmore addressed a Student Assembly convened by the SA Student Congress (SASCO) on our campus.
Quoting from the Media Statement:
Higher Education should not only produce graduates in commerce, science
and technology who are technically skilled, but are also conscious of
their potential to develop solutions, which will ultimately benefit the
poor and marginalized, says Western Cape Education MEC Cameron Dugmore.
He was addressing a Student Assembly convened by the SA Student
Congress (Sasco) on the UCT campus on Wednesday evening (23 April 2008).
The students wanted to hear the MEC’s views on progress on higher
education transformation in the Western Cape, backlogs, and the role of
government in tackling transformational issues, such as racism.
Said MEC Dugmore: “We need students across all disciplines who are
both internationally competitive and committed to contributing to peace
and development of our continent. They also need to be critical young
people, confident to challenge prevailing wisdoms at all levels of our
society.
“We need to locate the debate on higher education transformation
within the context of our commitment to a developmental state and its
ability to ensure that institutions funded and supported by the state,
contribute to our goal of creating a united, democratic, non-racial,
non-sexist South Africa.
“While a developmental state seeks to intervene to ensure accelerated
and shared growth, it is also focused primarily on meeting social needs,
building social cohesion by promoting the values of a caring society and
also ensuring that our people enjoy safety and security in their homes,
communities and places of learning.
“I am not suggesting that higher education simply becomes an
extension of the democratic state but I believe it is critical that our
universities are continually reminded of our national priorities and
challenged to contribute to the resolution of these challenges in our
teaching, our research and the work done in the communities that we
serve.
“I believe that the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the
Western Cape Provincial Government and the Vice-Chancellors of the four
Higher Education institutions in the Western Cape is an example of how
the state and higher education can work together to realize, in this
case, our provincial growth and development strategy, Ikapa Elihlumayo
and the Home for All vision for the province.”
He appealed to the students at higher education to focus on:
- support to students, which will ensure better throughput
- a critical focus on curriculum issues by actively participating in
student councils at faculty boards
- challenging the university in regard to extension work in communities
and the allocations of university budgets for this work
- vocal support of attempts by government to introduce community
service for students
- strengthening student organization and the reproduction of student
leaders who will remain committed to transformation beyond landing their
first corporate or government job
- getting involved in community work and projects such as the bra wam
/ sis wam mentorship projects and also tutoring programmes of
organizations like Shawco and SASCO
For full text of speech, visit www.capegateway.gov.za/education.