That South Africa has one of the best academic
systems on the continent is beyond doubt. It is, for the most part,
well-resourced and actively engaged in ground-breaking research on many fronts.
It is exclusive – that cannot be denied – but it has well-established
foundations, produces a great deal of research, and by all measures, leads the
continent in many disciplines and fields. The South African academic system is
also deeply engaged in understanding and solving South African challenges, and
views itself as critical in the role of nation-building and intellectual
leadership. We have many well-respected professors who are internationally
renowned for their contributions, and exhibit a depth of knowledge and analytical
capability that is enviable.
So it begs the question; with all the in-depth
research and analysis that is undertaken each year, and with all the
well-funded and resourced programmes we have that focus on the social and
cultural dimensions of change in South Africa, why did nobody see the current
student crisis coming? Moreover, why did nobody prepare adequately for it?
Indeed, the public is left with the impression that
our institutions of higher learning have been caught off guard, that they have
been unfairly cast before a set of circumstances that have appeared out of thin
air, a complete surprise; a “black swan” that rose up from the hidden workings
of society catching all and sundry unawares. Surely there is something wrong
with this picture? After all, is it not precisely the purpose of research to detect
significant societal changes that are unfolding, and especially those that
threaten to destabilise it?
Climate scientists and researchers, for
example, spend a lot of time warning society about the potentially harmful
effects of climate change. Let’s not get into the merits of whether these
warnings are taken up by society, but the fact is that the campaign to inform
society about potential climate change impacts has been widespread and
extremely active. They have got the word out.
What failed academia in respect of the youth
uprising that is currently on its doorstep? Was it not foreseeable? I have sat
in on many discussions where concerns were raised, and laborious data sets were
presented about growing public discontent with the status quo (especially
service delivery data). Youth politics has changed dramatically in recent
years. Closer to home, there have been protests and grievance processes running
at South African Universities since the early 1990s. With all the well-paid and
highly skilled leadership teams that these institutions have had, how is it possible
that nobody picked up on the warning signals?
Surely the question of how the best higher
education system in Africa failed to pick up the signs that a veritable
thunderstorm was brewing on its doorsteps speaks volumes for its incapacities
and inadequacies? And is this not precisely the question that should be given
the very highest of priorities right now?
With all the mea culpa’s, the angry accusations
of militancy, radicalism and violence, the concerns about the academic year-end
and the potential consequences of shutdown; the central question – which
revolves around a critical failing of our institutions – is not being asked.
Why is this the case?
To reiterate the point, we have many extremely
skilled and intelligent academics, who produce volumes of research, secure
large amounts of funding for research programmes, and collaborate with
colleagues from across the globe. They are not stupid or ignorant. So why aren’t
they asking themselves the questions that they should be, namely; how did this happen
on our watch? What did we miss?
It’s all fine and well to point fingers in every
direction, and descend into the minutiae of who did what first, and who is to
blame for what, but surely, the burning question should be – to people who are
concerned with understanding society and the changes unfolding within it – how did we miss a
discontent so large that it has crippled our institutions?
Moreover, in order to solve a crisis that is
characterised by deep conflict, surely one has to begin with recognising one’s
role in helping create it, or catalysing it? Is that not what we teach our
children? That no conflict is ever one-sided, and owning up to that is the
basis for negotiating compromise. Putting oneself in another’s shoes, so to
speak?
It simply cannot be that the system we have is
beyond reproach, and beyond the need for re-envisioning and transformation, if
it failed as dismally as it has in respect of the student protester movement
that has all but crippled it, with great pain and regret on both sides of the fence.
This must be acknowledged and absorbed, adequately contemplated, before we can
even think of moving into a future where these protests cease to be the new
norm.
Indeed the logic that poses that our
institutions are above reproach, and that any tampering will ruin them, is surely misplaced? Surely this crisis, is a stronger indicator than
ever, that the system itself is problematic in some – or many – ways? That it is in need of change?
I have many speculations and observations to
offer on why our higher education systems failed to predict the crisis that
landed so squarely on its doorstep, but for the sake of keeping the question
open I will abstain from colouring the exploration of this question with my own
suppositions. Academia needs to interrogate itself. If it cannot, then it is
not an academic project in the true sense, it is merely a system of knowledge
production, one that does not introspect deeply on the society that it is
resides within.
I will say this, however. The fact that
questions regarding what kind of changes are necessary are thrown back to
twenty-something protesters with annoying regularity, indicates what mode of
engagement our academics have descended to in addressing this crisis. It does
not matter how many accusatory articles are written in the end, if an honest
appraisal of the system is not something that South Africa’s intelligentsia are
willing to undertake. And it would be ironic, as they have been central to a
number of prescriptions regarding what kind of society we should aspire to live
in, and continue to fight hard for their positions; amongst each other as well
as in efforts to influence policy and decision-makers.
What is clear, is that it is time for academia
to take some of its own medicine, humble itself, and get down to solving the
very pressing and potentially enlightening and transformative challenges that
face it. There is no way around this central fact; that this crisis has been a
long time in the making, and that many feet have dragged on issues concerning
inclusivity and transformation. The proverbial chickens have come home to roost
and it is ridiculous to treat them as pure externalities, as events outside of
the control of university administrations. This crisis is not just about fees,
it is about the lack of an inclusive academic culture, and a rigid adherence to
a status quo that is unquestioning of itself. The crisis mirrors that unfolding
in our society and we would do well to put all our effort into understanding
and acting upon it, before it’s too late.
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