Walter Sisulu University will present a holistic turn-around plan to the Department of Higher Education by the end of the month that aims to take the embattled institution into the future.
That's the word from professor Lourens van Staden, the administrator appointed by Higher Education Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, to turn around the fortunes of the university in the next two years.
In a wide-ranging interview with Algoa FM News, professor Van Staden, outlined his plans to restructure the institution, improve its financial situation, build new residences and improve teaching and learning at the institution, which is spread over several campuses in East London, Butterworth and Mthatha.
Read the full transcript below:
"We've done a very comprehensive audit on the teaching, learning and research infrastructure as well as the state of accommodation, our residences."
"So what we've done we've submitted a request to the Department of Higher Education to really improve the current state of affairs at the university in the areas I've mentioned. However, we are also looking for additional money to build new residences for our students because we really aspire to have, over time, 50% of our students in residences."
"Now, residences are very, very expensive. It's about R160 000 per bed. So, what it means is that if want to build residences to accommodate an additional 3000 students it means that we need about R500m."
"And then the project is all about what I call minimum standards in all our teaching and learning venues to create a situation where our students can have conducive education (sic) with technology. Hence, I'm on record saying I don't think we should, in a very incremental way, improve Walter Sisulu (University), we are so far behind many other universities that I think we need what I call a quantum leap to really be at a level where you present your lectures with power-point and all of that."
"The main challenge for the University in terms of redressing the situation is that we've actually conceptualised a new management model, a new academic model and a new business model for the university. Because, what you find with this dispersed institution, governing about 1000 square kilometres, the current model of a unitary management system is definitely not on. I think this is where many of the challenges started since the inception of WSU."
"So, were are quickly going to change direction and come up with, for now, three different models to approach this. And, this will also require a complete new organisational structure for the University to cater for our new strategies. We're on the verge of finishing our new SRC constitution which will be along the new management model of the university and then in two weeks time, we will, for the first time in two years, have SRC elections so that we get a bit of stability at the University."
"So, I can confidently say that by the end of May, apart from what we've submitted there will then be a holistic plan which we want to submit to the Department of Higher Education and Training and ultimately we will have to approach Treasury to assist the University to turn it around completely."
"What we've achieved thus is we have for the interim some financial stability. We are in a position where we can pay our salaries and committed benefits to the university staff until the end of the year. One of the first quick wins is by the end of the year to have a break-even budget. Currently, you know the University is financially bankrupt. There's a lot of qualifications on our financial statements. We are slowly and surely busy removing them through audits and cleaning up."
"The first thing is to get stability and actually stop looking back so that we focus and move forward."
