FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTH AFRICA LACKS WOMEN LEADERS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Launch of Women in Higher Education Executive Leadership Programme

Recent mergers in higher education have reduced rather than increased the number of women leaders.  Only one Vice Chancellor is a woman.  The deficit and other disturbing trends prompted a consortium of sponsors, including Higher Education South Africa (HESA), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to structure special executive women leadership training programs. 

The program aims to increase the cadre of women with capacity to move into senior executive positions.  WHEEL stems from a combination of initiatives on gender equity offered through USAID’s Tertiary Education Linkages Project (TELP) and Higher Education South Africa’s Leadership and Management Programme (HELM).  Less than 20% of participants in HELM’s programs since 2003 have been women, so HELM is expanding its mission to assist many more women to achieve top executive positions.  Historically disadvantaged women will be the focus of new workshops, mentoring, electronic networks and study opportunities locally and in the U.S. 

South Africa’s only female Vice Chancellor, Professor Rachel Gumbi (University of Zululand), gave the keynote address at the launch, attended by academics, government, partners and donors.  Gumbi outlined problems that impede women’s progress as leaders.  WHEEL will redress the imbalance.  Gumbi holds several South African and international awards for her own impressive track record of leadership.  Her research contributes to her authority on issues such as community and problem-based education for medicine and nursing, human resource development, higher education management and community empowerment.         

According to USAID Mission Director, Carleene Dei, “It is only when the South African university begins to question and dispute the current disempowerment of women that this country’s women will have an equal chance of becoming managers, senior managers and executive leaders in higher education institutions, as well as in society.” 

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SUMMARY:  WHEEL is part of USAID’s nearly $1million program in South Africa supporting government’s aim to improve the leadership capacity of higher education administrators countrywide through TELP (Tertiary Education Linkages Project). Started in 1995 and scheduled for completion in 2006, TELP is managed collaboratively by Vice Chancellors of the Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDIs), South Africa’s  Department of Education, USAID and the primary contractor, United Negro College Fund.”

Further information is available from Professor Nqabomzi Gawe at the UNCF Special Programmes Corporation:  012-430-6288 or gawe@uncf.org.za