South African History Online

Graduation address by President Nelson Mandela as chancellor of the University of the North

University of the North, Saturday 20 September 1997

Mr. Vice-Chancellor;
Chairperson and Members of Council;
Members of
Senate and of Faculty Boards;
Members of the Administrative and Service
Staff;
Chairperson and Members of the Students' Representative
Council;
Members of the General Student Body;
Distinguished Guests;
And
particularly the Graduands and Diplomates of the day;
their Parents,
Guardians, Family and Friends;
Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are told that the Chancellor is the titular and ceremonial head of a
university, and that the real business of running the university is left to
others. This injunction not to interfere in the details of the institution's
management and functioning provides us with the opportunity to reflect on the
broader issues, and focusing on the bigger picture within which we operate.

It may well be one of the endemic problems of our times that we get so
engrossed in the specifics of what concerns us as individuals or particular
sectors, that we are not always sufficiently mindful of the greater cause and
context.

Let us, however, first and foremost remember what this day is about. It is to
celebrate with those receiving their degrees, diplomas and certificates. We
salute them for their individual achievements gained through dedication and hard
work. We pay tribute to their parents, guardians and families for their
commitment to the development of their children and charges. We recognise this
as the collective educational effort of students, teachers and support staff of
this university.

It is our hope that the fruits of your studies shall be rewarding to
yourselves and your families; that you shall put your knowledge at the service
of society and community; and that with the help of your contributions South
Africa shall become a winning nation, steeped in science and learning.

As chancellor, it is furthermore my hope that as many of you now exit the
university to enter the world of work and the professions, you will leave behind
an alma mater that will continue to grow in quality, excellence, relevance and
capacity to serve. And that you will find ways to contribute materially and
intellectually to its growth. Solid, stable, quality institutions of higher
learning are essential for the overall development of South African society to
meet the challenges of a modern and global world.

Even though we do, of necessity, do many other things at university, we
should constantly remind ourselves of what stands at the core of our activities.
Universities, it has been said, are those social institutions charged with the
handling of knowledge. It is for that reason, and for that reason only, that
societies establish, subsidise and maintain such institutions.

Most of the other secondary things we do at universities can be better
performed by other institutions, and we should never elevate them to a primary
status in the life of a university.

Perhaps this day provides me, as your ceremonial head, with the occasion to
call upon every sector and every individual member of the university to
re-dedicate themselves to that essential function. It may mean asking ourselves
every day, and every time we embark upon any activity, how we are contributing
to the advancement of our society through the promotion of learning and
knowledge.

It would be foolish of us in the universities to ignore the widespread
perception that all is not well within our current university system.

There is talk of a crisis of leadership within higher education. It is said
that the universities have gone silent on what should have been the major public
and intellectual debates of our changing society. It would appear as if the
discussions on transformation focus largely on questions of governance and
issues of power, rather than the more crucial intellectual subject of curriculum
transformation. Demands around access and funding are seldom seen to be linked
to plans for enhancing quality and performance or undertakings to achieve
this.

We would not be surprised if all or most of these charges are overstated, and
we are confident that persuasive counter-arguments to each one could be put
forward. We would, however, do well to ponder these perceptions and observations
even if they are not wholly valid. And it may be that, where there is substance
to them, part of the cause lies in us not keeping that core intellectual and
educational function of the institution sufficiently within our sights when we
go about our business in the universities.

We are certain that the parents and the members of the broader community
present here this morning, will agree with us and would want us to state as
emphatically as possible that the university is in the first and the last
instance about teaching, learning and research. And that we want to see all of
our institutions of higher learning being centres of quality that can take their
place in the world of international scholarship.

We are aware of some of the major steps taken by this university in
establishing the academic infrastructure to equip it for that role in the region
and for the country.

The Agriculture Research Unit combines research, training and development
work in ways which put science at the service of the community and region in
which you operate, while at the same time striving for the highest international
standards of scholarship. The same can be said for the Computational Materials
Modeling Centre; the National Community Water and Sanitation Institute; and the
Sports Science Testing Institute.

The work of your Language Centre in providing courses in different languages
of the province, to facilitate written and verbal communication in the
work-place; the technical and vocational training in your Votek Programme aimed
at meeting the skills needs of the Province's agriculture, commerce and
industry; these are examples of an institution of higher learning which remains
sensitive and responsive to its grass-roots service area without forsaking its
primary task of scholarship.

The Turfloop Graduate School of Leadership aims to become Southern Africa's
premier business school, dedicated to enhancing the country's pool of executive
managers and entrepreneurs.

It is incumbent on all of us to build on these foundations. We are looking to
the academic staff of our university to rededicate themselves to those basic
tasks of quality teaching and the constant search for new knowledge. The future
of our youth, and of our country, is in your hands.

You, the students, stand at the centre of the university's activities. For
the past decade that center stage had seen heroic acts on your part to bring
about and speed up political change. Now, we look to you now for the courage to
return with equal single-mindedness to the lonely work of libraries,
laboratories and study rooms. Defeat that evil Verwoerdian dream of an
innumerate and scientifically illiterate population, by dedicating yourselves to
the concrete tasks of learning and scholarship.

To the academics and students of the university, let us say; the level of
scientific and intellectual standards of the country, so crucial for the future
of all our people, is not an abstract thing - it is dependent upon what each
single one of you contribute. Society invests heavily in universities, and it
legitimately expects returns on that investment. We are confident that you, as
the academic heart of the university, will rise to these challenges.

It is in support of efforts to meet those academic and scientific challenges
that the administrative and service staff play their indispensable roles.
Without them, the university cannot perform its primary function. We thank them
for their unselfish dedication to the education of our youth and the advancement
of their university.

Mister Vice-Chancellor, Ladies and Gentlemen; The miracle of our political
transition needs to be permanently translated into the social and economic
transformation of our country. That cannot be achieved without tertiary
education of the highest quality. It is to that task that we call all members of
our university this morning.

I thank you!

Issued by: Office of the President