UCT has called for public comments on its admission policy – which uses race as a proxy for classifying students as disadvantaged – in a bid to replace its often controversial race-based policy.
Through public discourse, it hopes to find alternative proxies as a basis for establishing disadvantage.
The university called for comments by placing an advert in the Cape Times yesterday in a bid to broaden the discussion.
It read: “The UCT admissions policy has attracted considerable and diverse interest from all sectors of the community. The UCT Council and Senate review and approve our policy for student admissions every year, most recently in November 2011.
“To supplement the process, we now invite members of the public to make written submissions to the Council Commission (chaired by member of Council, Judge Craig Howie).”
The advert noted that submissions should address the principles of the admission policy, and not individual cases.
The spotlight has long been on UCT’s admission policy, which asks applicants to state their race so they can be classified as disadvantaged.
Gerda Kruger, executive director of UCT’s communications and marketing department, said UCT had regularly revisited the policy over the years through on and off campus debates, forums and through the media.
“UCT reviews its policy each year, and this year we wanted to broaden the engagement and to hear even more views on the matter. We have, therefore, placed the call in the general media nationally, in the hope of getting as wide an interest as possible.
“Over the past few years, individuals have engaged with UCT, either directly or via the media, offering both criticism and approval.”
She said the council and Vice-Chancellor Max Price had consistently said the use of race in the admission policy was undesirable and that alternative proxies for disadvantage should be identified.
In pursuing this goal, an admission policy review task team, chaired by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Crain Soudien, was established in 2009. Kruger said the task team had commissioned research into measures of disadvantage that could be used in place of race.
She said the material garnered by the task team, as well as the views of the public and sectors inside and outside the university, would be considered by a commission, recently established to broaden engagement.
The deadline for submissions is March 9. Hearings are to be held from May 15 to 17. - Cape Times