Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/52321
Beyond Black & White BY ALAN ROTHBERG Given South Africa's history, and especially our more recent history, I don't believe any university in our country today can avoid dealing with the issue of diversity. Here, historically white universities, and in particular white Afrikaans universities, have been very con- scious of the need to transform and embrace the diverse nature of our society. However, for the Univer- sity of the Witwatersrand (Wits), an institution that currently serves about 29,000 students, opposing apartheid and other forms of dis- crimination has been a proud part of our 90-year heritage. During the days when there were quotas on the numbers of black students who could attend university, Wits did whatever it could to show opposition. Subse- quently, both staff and students became involved in "the struggle," as it has come to be known. Sev- eral were detained and tortured by the police, and some went into exile, only returning after the release of Nelson Mandela. Since the end of apartheid, Wits has launched a concerted effort to develop a demographic profile that matches the national profile as closely as possible. At the moment, white students represent about one- third of the student body. That's still not a perfect match for the country's demographics, where whites repre- sent about one-fifth, but we are mak- ing progress. To get to our goal, we 20 January/February 2012 BizEd areas to identify promising students, and we bring them and their teach- ers to the university for a few weeks a year for special assistance. We help the teachers understand the requirements of higher education, while we expose the students to the types of degrees and courses that are available. By the time they finish secondary school, we hope they will know if they're interested in higher education in business, health, engi- neering, or some other field. We have also tried other initia- tives, such as a bridge program that allowed students to take two years to complete their first year of studies while we supplied them with academic support. But this was less successful. We found the extra time gave students a false sense of security, and it was very stressful for them once they were thrown into the regular academic environment. To provide access to higher edu- Since the end of apartheid, Wits has launched a concerted effort to develop a demographic profile that matches the national profile as closely as possible. have to address a number of issues. For instance, we need to make up the educational deficits faced by students from disadvantaged communities where education was—and to some extent still is— suboptimal. To do that, we must find ways to identify, assist, and develop students in those commu- nities who have potential. We do this in several ways. Our Targeting Talent Programme focuses on "feeder" schools in rural cation for the many students who are unable to afford university fees, Wits also enjoys the benefits of bur- sary programs, awarded to students in need, and scholarship programs, awarded to those who have excelled at secondary school level. We also participate in the Leadership Edu- cation and Development (LEAD) program, in which universities such as Wits and the University of Cape Town work with tenth-grade stu- dents to develop their leadership