'Degrees outweigh toyi-toying'

2008-03-25 21:03

Richards Bay - University students needed to spend less than seven years passing their first year and improving their toyi-toying skill would not make South Africa better, said Education Minister Naledi Pandor on Tuesday.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the official opening of three student residences at the University of Zululand, Pandor said: "We haven't come here to improve our toyi-toying skill. It doesn't improve South Africa."

Urging students to take their studies seriously, she said the country could not afford to have students spending seven years at a university without passing their first year.

Pandor warned that apart from the skills shortage the country faced, there also was a growing shortage of experienced academia at tertiary institutions.

She said the government was looking at ways to improve the packages of academic staff, as well as providing incentives that would encourage students to pursue honours and doctorate studies.

Needs to attract top academics

"I have the ambition to ensure that this becomes a quality institution situated in a rural area," Pandor said.

She added that the University of Zululand also faced the problem of attracting top academics to lecture at the institution.

She said universities needed to continually update and modernise their curricula.

"The world is watching what each of our institutions is doing," she said.

Prior to the official opening of the residences, Pandor met the university's management as well as student leaders.

She urged the management - to loud cheers from students - to install air-conditioning in the university's library.

The chancellor of the university, Jacob Zuma, arrived to a warm welcome as Pandor was about to address students at the residences.

Zuma welcomed the construction of the residences, saying that further expansion was required at the institution. He urged businesses in the Richards Bay area to invest in the university.

Pandor and Zuma later attended a sod-turning ceremony in Richards Bay, marking the start of construction of the university's Richards Bay campus.

Zuma said: "It (the University of Zululand) used to be known as a bush university.

Keep abreast of the region's demands

"People in Richards Bay finished their matric and drove straight past it to Cape Town and Durban on their way to study further."

He said the opening of the university's Richards Bay campus would make the institution an integral part of the Richards Bay area.

He warned that the institution needed to keep abreast of the demands of the region, otherwise there would be people with degrees who could not get jobs.

University rector Rachel Gumbi said government had pledged R130m over three years towards the campus. The residences cost R250m to build.

- SAPA