When funding imperatives dominate universities’ strategies, higher education loses sight of the work it ought to be doing: developing graduates who can make a real difference in the world.
South Africa students are protesting and have brought university campuses to a stand still. This could have been avoided.
Generational rebellion is an enduring feature of all societies. Indeed, it is the dynamic through which societies renew themselves and move forward.
Where both capacity and integrity are weak, dysfunction is inevitable.
The ethical and political reasons to avoid free higher education are unambiguous.
2017 promises to be another tough year as South African universities head into the uncertain terrain of further addressing and healing the divisions that have been exposed.
Universities are so busy trying to make ends meet that there’s no time to listen to their communities’ stories. It’s crucial to develop safe spaces where tough conversations can happen.
Social justice is not just a phrase for protesting students. Instead it is something that defines them.
Finance minister Pravin Gordhan announced that government expenditure on higher education and specifically universities will be the fastest growing expenditure items on the budget.
Students from poorer backgrounds feel anxious, ashamed and stressed in the middle-class environment of a university.
