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On-going austerity measures in the higher education sector brought about a contextual and important dose of reality for many graduands and their families during the recent WSU spring graduation ceremonies held at the Mthatha Campus recently.
WSU Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Rushiella Songca, in her addresses that spanned three sessions over two days, said the government has continued year-on-year budgetary cuts and constraints will disproportionately negatively affect WSU because of its historical status as opposed to more advantaged institutions.
“I posit, that WSU management has a role to think of how best to manage this situation – not to resolve, but to manage it. However, the solution is a collective one that includes both monetary and non-monetary endeavours, “said Prof Songca.
It was to an attentive audience that she would explore these endeavours; firstly, imploring WSU stakeholders such as its staff members, alumni and friends to, regardless of personal feelings, defend and protect the reputation and image of the university in order to see it grow and succeed.
Reflecting on the monetary interventions, Prof Songca said suggested that the broader WSU community started looking closely and more acutely at the potential that lies in social responsibility to the university and its students.
“How can we leverage on the various memorandums of understanding and agreements signed with different stakeholders and why are they being signed anyways if they’re just being signed to collect dust,“ she queried.
Regarding the aforementioned challenge, Prof Songca said the university has instituted a repository of all the agreements the university has with different stakeholders with the aim of identifying and categorizing the most strategically positioned agreements with the aim of soliciting not just funding, but employment for graduates as well.
She also challenged the student leadership cohort to be dynamic and creative in assisting university management to come up with solutions aimed at decreasing the mammoth student debt that currently sits at R1, 8 billion.
“We have not just been sitting back, but have been hard at work in alleviating this challenge and to that end, during this academic year we have raised R73 million to assist in this regard. Due to that intervention, we were able to distribute it to a portion of our students and help them get their certificates,“ said Prof Songca.
During the spring edition of this year’s graduation season, the university awarded and conferred a total of 988 certificates, diplomas and degrees. Of those, 112 were postgraduate qualifications, whilst 876 were undergraduate qualifications.
By Thando Cezula
