New Higher Education minister must cut coat according to size, says expert
An education expert says the country’s next higher education minister will need to consider available resources when deciding on policies.
Education Expert Marie Metcalfe has been commenting on the needs of the tertiary education sector ahead of the announcement of a new cabinet under the government of national unity.
The ANC’s Blade Nzimande headed the department up until the recent elections, but it is unclear if he will remain in the portfolio of the new administration.
Nzimande recently dissolved the board of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and placed it under administration amid allegations of corruption.
It came after civil society organisation OUTA released damning voice recordings allegedly implicating Nzimande and NSFAS board chairperson Ernest Khosa in graft.
Nzimande has denied any wrongdoing.
"Whichever minister is appointed to any portfolio, including Higher Education, I would imagine that their starting point must be the broad principles of the agreement that binds the government of national unity and the goals of that achievement, including redressing injustices of the past and advancing equity," said Metcalfe.
"The next step of the minister would be surely to do a thorough assessment of what is happening within the policies and implementation of the policies in the department, and most critically, to look at what is achievable within the current financial and fiscal constraints of the next five years, to make sure that, what becomes the programme of action in that department for the next five years is achievable within the resources.”
The formation of a national unity government has been met with mixed reactions by university students.
"If the government of national unity does not come to an equal and common consensus, I believe that it would affect the higher education system in a grand way, simply because a house divided cannot stand. Where there is division, there is no growth," said Hope Mareka, who studies at Wits University.
"And I feel like it will affect the students, the policies that are already in place. If the government is not equal in opinion, then it will affect how tertiaries are run and could possibly affect students' lives. They need to come to an equal decision on how Higher Education is going to be run and what values the new government of national unity stands by in regards to the higher education system," said Mareka.
Another student, Kedumetse Mphahlele, from the Tshwane University of Technology, believes the new government could be a “game-changer” for the sector.
“I mean, think about it - a government that is made up of different political parties with different values and one common goal could finally address the issues we've been facing for years, like Insufficient funding for universities, inadequate student financial aid and lack of resources in some learning institutions.”
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