KEYNOTE ADDRESS

GOOD EVENING,  Ladies and Gentlemen, Professor Ramashala, Vice Chancellors, Deputy Vice Chancellors and Senior Institutional Officials, Colleagues from the Department of Education, Colleagues and Friends:

It is a great pleasure for me to be here tonight, representing U.S. Ambassador, Jendayi Fraser.  She has asked me to extend her profound appreciation to you for inviting her to address you this evening.  Unfortunately, she was unable to attend due to other official responsibilities, so she has asked me to serve in her stead.  I hope I can do her justice.

Thank you for the warm welcome.  I am delighted that I have an opportunity, and indeed a captive audience, to talk about one of my great passions in life:  THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING A GOOD EDUCATION.  My son is probably tired of hearing me talk about this subject so often, but a good education provides the foundation and springboard for personal and professional growth and development.  He is only 13 years old and, like most teenagers, often sees more value in playing video games than in improving his vocabulary or science skills.  But I continue to make sure that education is at the top of our family’s agenda because I am a product of having received a good education.

I am the first member of my family to receive a university education and, I am proud to say, that I am a graduate of an Historically Black University in the U.S.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCUs, are similar in nature to South Africa’s HDIs (Historically Disadvantaged Institutions).  Prior to America’s civil rights movement, historically black colleges and universities were established to offer higher education to African-Americans living in segregated areas of the country. These institutions of higher learning--most are more than 100 years old--were established to address historical inequities and inequalities and they have served their communities well.  For those of you who don’t know, there are about 105 HBCUs in the U.S. and they enroll 14 percent of all African Americans in higher education, although they constitute only 3 percent of America’s 4,000 higher education institutions. 

Today, HBCUs continue to honor a legacy of quality education, diversity, and opportunity.   However, HBCUs are under threat of extinction due to the increased ability of students to find the best deal at the best universities throughout the country.  This is a triumph of our social struggle in the U.S., but it is unfortunately a negative by-product of the times.  HBCUs must redefine and restructure themselves in order to meet the needs of today’s American population, and some are having a difficult time doing that.

I only arrived in South Africa two months ago.  Based on my limited knowledge about higher education here, your institutions are undergoing a transformation similar to that of our HBCUs in the U.S.  The challenges are numerous and force you to rethink the purpose of your institutions and how they can serve the needs of today’s South African citizens. 

Higher education in South Africa offers a unique testimony to the world because of its recent past and the progressive changes it has managed to introduce in the space of a decade. The world understands South African higher education as emerging from a system characterized by carefully modeled policies and tools that disadvantaged the black majority and benefited the white minority.

The system saw the creation of black institutions (Historically Disadvantaged Institutions) that were poorly endowed with financial resources, infrastructure and, of course, well-prepared academics.

On the other side of the economic partition, Historically White Institutions were created and blessed with state financial support, infrastructural development and aggressive staff development programs. 

Regardless of the divided approach to higher education development, the HDIs have produced some internationally respected politicians of our times, astute business executives and other leaders in all spheres of our society.  Political activism by opponents of the apartheid regime was fostered in most of these institutions, so we now have a South Africa that models democracy for the world.

This background and understanding led to the United States Government, through USAID, becoming a partner with South Africa in 1995 to jointly support higher education development and transformation in this country.   Education reform has been one of South Africa’s most serious challenges.  Education here was dysfunctional for decades, operating in a crisis environment.  Racial discrimination kept all South Africans from learning the truth in their schools about history, politics and other basic subjects, so vital for life development. 

The Tertiary Education Linkages Project (TELP) has been a successful partnership between America and South Africa to promote educational transformation.  The United States Agency for International Development, USAID, has contributed nearly $50 million to South Africa’s higher education transformation over the last 10 years.

As you know, TELP has rolled out in two phases.  The first phase, from August 1994 to August 2003, focused on developing external linkages with U.S. institutions and building the capacity of academic and administrative staff in the U.S.  The second phase,  TELP 2, concentrates on internal institution building, such as long-term strategic planning, curriculum development and educational transformation, e.g., in the institutional merger process. 

TELP has been successful because of the collaborative efforts of South Africa’s Government--represented by the Department of Education--the Historically Disadvantaged Institutions in South Africa; linkage partners in the US; our contractor, United Negro College Fund Special Projects; and the highly spirited advisors who form the TELP Policy Advisory Panel (the people I see before me tonight). You have managed to guide and steer the project in a direction that contributes to the national good of higher education development in South Africa. 

South Africa is entering a new era, modernizing and updating higher education systems and institutions to contribute to both social cohesion and economic prosperity.   As you know better than anybody, the transformation aims to provide greater equity, access and accountability for higher quality education than South Africans have ever known before. 

The new approach to higher education is breaking down divisive old barriers.  The new strategy is building the country’s capacity to increase access to those who previously had little choice about what to study and where.

Higher education needs to be seen in a relationship with learning—an investment in human assets that produces informed people making important decisions about democratic South Africa’s future. 

USAID, as your partner in higher education development, understands the difficulty associated with the mergers and incorporations and the establishment of comprehensive institutions.  We believe, however, that this reconfiguration process was identified as one of the levers for the transformation of higher education in South Africa, articulated in the 1997 Education White Paper 3:

            “…central to the vision of higher education transformation is the conceptualization, planning, governance and funding of higher education as a single, nationally coordinated system, which will meet the learning needs of the South African citizens and the reconstruction and development priorities of a fledgling democracy and an emerging economy.”  

USAID supports the South African Government in this reconfiguration by assisting the merger process.  We certainly understand that restructuring of any institution is a painful exercise and higher education is no exception.  I therefore urge you to work resolutely as a team to advance the transformation process of higher education.  As a matter of fact, USAID is currently funding an analysis of higher education in South Africa that will help us to develop a framework for future investment in this sector. 

One assuring principle in the context of South Africa is that the Government developed the policies in a transparent and consultative manner, inclusive of public views.  USAID believes that as senior academics and administrators in the country’s higher education sector, you have been part of the debates that have shaped the current process of education reform.  We would like to carry on working with you to strengthen the gains of this new democracy.  In partnership, let us try to ensure that you develop a higher education system that embodies the policy objectives of the White Paper and that will be able to:

• promote equity of access;

• meet national developmental needs, including high skilled employment needs as presented by a developing economy operating in a global environment;

• create a society that is culturally tolerant, non-sexist, non-racist, and that encourages critical discourse and creative thinking; and, finally,

• contribute to the advancement of all forms of knowledge and scholarship.

In addition to the assistance that USAID has provided to higher education, you should know that we are also supporting South Africa in so many other ways.  USAID’s program in South Africa is about $93 million a year.  We work in partnership with the South African Government, private sector and non-Governmental sector to stimulate social and economic development.  Specifically, we support programs in democracy and governance; education--particularly basic education; health, including HIV/AIDS; building economic capacity; employment creation; and housing and urban development.  In addition to our large HIV/AIDS program in South Africa, we also support an $8.5 million regional HIV/AIDS program that assists 10 countries in Southern Africa.

Ten years of freedom here have encouraged and enabled South Africa’s people to exercise their fundamental rights as citizens, economically active individuals and builders of this country.  USAID’s activities are designed to benefit the majority of South Africa’s people who were disadvantaged by apartheid.  Their victory over decades of racial oppression is one of the 20^th century’s great achievements. 

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to USAID’s new Education Team members with whom you will be working:

• Cynthia Chassy is the new Team Leader and she arrived at USAID/SA in February 2004. She has had extensive experience in El Salvador, Guinea and Washington. She is the overall manager for Education and Training at USAID/SA.

• David Farirai is the new Project Manager for Higher Education. He joined USAID/SA in August 2004.  He probably does not need to be introduced to most of you, as he has worked with you as a Director of Planning at the University of the North, as an Institutional Planner at Eastern Cape Technikon and as an administrator at the Department of Education.

In closing, I’d like to leave you with a challenge made by another HBCU graduate, Dr. Reed Tuckson, who is senior vice-president of Consumer Health and Medical Care Advancement, United Group of Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Here’s what he said during his keynote speech at an HBCU meeting earlier this year in Washington, DC:

“We have truly reached a defining moment in African-American and American history,” Tuckson said. “Our ancestors founded HBCUs by finding a way out of no way.  Back then, there was no question what HBCUs were all about.  There was poise, concentration of talent and density of scholarship among people willing to do battle with forces that would keep African Americans down.

“The fate of these institutions now lies with us. And we’ve become self-absorbed and complacent with our HBCUs.  I fear we have too many meetings with uncertain agendas.  I don’t think we’re scared, concerned, or upset enough about the fate of African-American culture, community, or where it’s all headed.

“If we’re not careful, HBCUs will become known only for social interaction and not intellectual stimulation. We don’t need HBCUs to survive because we need more museums, we need them to thrive and prosper because we need scholarship and learning in the African- American community,” Tuckson said.

Tuckson outlined his thoughts on what was needed to improve HBCUs, including a reason to care, rational strategic planning, leadership, a belief in the competency of HBCUs, and the removal of malaise, silliness, and materialism of successful alumni.

He told the audience:  “You, as presidents and faculty, must hold us, the alumni, accountable. If you should need us, we must be committed to you and prepared to help in any and every way possible.” 

As Tuckson concluded his address to thunderous applause, he said, “We have no time left. Our schools are in danger of becoming little insects caught in the amber of time, a plague in an empty field.  Be focused, be disciplined, be angry, be tenacious, and be smart.”  

Tuckson has amazing insights regarding the past, present and future of America’s HBCUs.  Ask yourselves what applications can be drawn to South Africa as you wrestle through higher education’s challenges in the days to come.        

On behalf of the Ambassador, USAID and the US Government, I appreciate your invitation to address you tonight.  We wish you well during the issues you tackle tomorrow.  We look forward to our ongoing partnership with you as higher education in South Africa serves the population relevantly and accessibly.       

Thank you and good night.