Durban - Minister of Higher Education Dr Blade Nzimande slammed parents who condoned the behaviour of their children which led to damage estimated at over R300 million in the wake of violent student protests.
The minister said while the government called upon parents and guardians to take an active interest in what was going on in the country’s tertiary institutions, he was deeply disturbed when some prominent parents of students, who were charged with serious allegations of destruction of university property, came out in defence of their children, saying they were proud of what their children did.
“This I regard as irresponsible parenting. Today, our universities are sitting with R300m damages to universities just during this last financial year alone.
“Yes, our students have a right to protest, but our universities need transformation, not destruction led by a minority of students,” he said.
Nzimande made these comments while addressing a gathering at the UKZN graduation ceremony (Faculty of Agriculture, Engineering and Science) at the Royal Show Grounds in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday.
The minister revealed that he was also celebrating a family success on Tuesday, as he congratulated his late brother’s daughter, Noxolo Gumbi, for her achievement in obtaining a BSc in Food Science and Nutrition.
“I also take this opportunity to congratulate, in true African tradition, all of our other sons and daughters graduating from this faculty,” the minister said, adding that these students had graduated in fields that were still scarce, but critical in our country.
He said the government, in its determination to support students who came from families that could not afford to study at institutions such as UKZN, had this year set aside over R800m from the National Skills Fund as full bursaries for such students.
“This is part of government’s commitment towards ensuring that no poor, but academically deserving student in the scarce and critical skills areas, is deprived of an opportunity to study,” he said.
Nzimande explained that South Africa still had a large shortage of engineers, despite the fact that the country desperately needed these to grow and develop the economy.
Between 2009 and 2014, the government invested R1 trillion into infrastructure alone, the single largest amount in any five-year period in the entire history of the country.
“Government still intends to invest more, and therefore the importance of production of more people in these areas of study is of paramount importance,” he said.
Another field of study where South Africa had a huge shortage was that of veterinary sciences. There is only one such faculty in the whole country - at the University of Pretoria.
“I hope UKZN can seriously consider - with its very strong footprint in both Agriculture and Health Sciences - expanding into the field of Animal Health as part of addressing the shortage of veterinary specialists in our country. Human health is in danger if we do not look after animal health, especially the livestock that supply our meat, milk and other related products,” he said.
The minister also thanked the parents and guardians for their support - saying that as much as these graduates were their sons and daughters, their achievements went beyond just improving their personal lives and those of their families.
“Their skills are vital for the overall economic development of our country. So there can be no more of a patriotic duty than for families to invest in the education of their children,” he said.
The minister went on to emphasise the need to expand other components of post-school education and training, especially at vocational and community colleges.
He confirmed that only 30% of those who wrote matric were accepted at South Africa’s 26 public universities. The other 70% required other education and training opportunities outside of universities.
“Universities have a very important role in supporting the development and expansion of the rest of the post-schooling sector. Our country has a huge shortage of artisans, for instance, and needs to address training and further education needs of the many South Africans who never completed school, including those who never went to school,” he said.
He concluded by congratulating all graduates and encouraged them to make their mark in their chosen fields and contribute positively to growing the economy and knowledge base of the country.
Daily News