Universities have not sufficiently transformed – Report

Times Live 17 December 2016

Public universities have not sufficiently transformed in the past 20 years and discrimination remains prevalent‚ particularly on the grounds of race‚ gender‚ disability and socio-economic class, writes Ernest Mabuza for Times Live.

This is according to a report published by the South African Human Rights Commission on transformation at these universities. The commission held public hearings to investigate the matter following incidents of systemic exclusion and discrimination. One such incident occurred at the University of the Free State when four black members of the support staff were subjected to inhumane treatment at the hands of white students – commonly referred to as the ‘Reitz Four’ incident.

The commission’s report found that despite the relative gains‚ transformation in the higher education sector had been relatively slow. It strongly recommended that the Department of Higher Education and Training take a leading role in developing policies to support the transformation of the higher education system and for it to use its powers to hold universities which fail to transform to account.
Full report on the Times Live site

Receive email updates from UWN

Global newsletters    Africa newsletters    Other
    (other includes related events and webinars)

Data will be processed according to our standard terms & conditions.

Research focuses on production of jet fuel from halophytes

UAE University staff

With an eye to developing a clean, alternative aviation fuel to reduce carbon emissions, researchers at the United Arab Emirates University have been focusing on the production of jet fuel from sustainable resources such as halophytes, which are salt-tolerant plants that could be cultivated on a wider scale in the region’s coastal areas.

The value of being human: How teachers can work alongside AI

Michael Milligan

Artificial intelligence is now a part of our evolution in technology and teachers need to be encouraged to find ways to bring AI into the classroom and have students use it in a way that is beneficial to them in the long term.

Ground-breaking research on seawater biodesalination

UAE University staff

As water scarcity reaches critical levels globally, a research team at the United Arab Emirates University seeks to revolutionise seawater desalination practices, offering a path to mitigate water scarcity while championing environmental preservation.