Race and higher education in South Africa

Black Issues in Higher Education, May 1, 1997 by Reitumetse Obakeng Mabokela

As South Africa enters the post-election era, the future of race relations in higher education is still undefined.

The historically differential treatment of the three subgroups collectively differential treatment of the three Africans, Coloreds, and Indians -- poses a remarkable challenge to policy-makers who have to transform the curriculum and formulate new strategies for the re-allocation of resources. During the apartheid era, the following racial classification terms were conceptualized: "White" refers to people of European descent; "African" refers to the indigenous people of South Africa; "Colored" refers to people of mixed Africa, Malay, Khoi, and European descent; "Indian" or "Asian" refers to people of Asian descent -- excluding Japanese, who were classified honorary whites; "Black" refers collectively to Africans, Coloreds and Indians and is a political term which emerged out of the Black consciousness philosophy in the 1970s.

The continuing significance of race and the constant reconceptualization of racial identity raise a number of issues.

It is evident that the current curriculum at both historically white and Black universities is heavily Euro-centric. There is still a pervasive attitude that there is nothing wrong with this curriculum. The problem has been defined in terms of the increasing presence of the "under-prepared" (mostly Black) students in institutions of higher education. This attitude was echoed at the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association held in San Francisco last month by a professor from the University of Potchefstroom, a historically white university, when he stated that: "...white universities are Western animals and they have to conform to the high academic standards of the West. If Black students want to attend our universities, they have to adjust to the way things operate at these universities."

These attitudes demonstrate the arrogance of some South African scholars who still equate Euro-centric ideas with intellectual superiority.

It is not enough to give all South Africans the same quality of education without changing the content. In other words, the current curriculum which contains abundant negative portrayals of Black culture cannot be used as the universal curriculum. Some scholars have called for the "Africanization" of the curriculum to reflect the interests of students represented in higher education -- a proposal which has ignited a heated debate within the education sector.

Beyond incorporating Black history and literature into the textbooks, what does "Africanization" really mean? Does African culture include Coloreds and Indians as well? Scholars at historically white universities (HWUs) argue that Africanization of the curriculum will lower standards and jeopardize the competitiveness and international status of their institutions. To what standards and to whose standards are these universities adhering?

The redistribution of resources is another contentious issue which has ignited fervent debates in higher education circles.

Prior to 1984, universities were funded by means of a subsidy formula which based the allocation of financial resources on the number of students enrolled and the "success rate." This success rate criterion impeded the funding of HBUs which had (and still have) higher drop-out rates and a higher proportion of students from lower socio-economic status who require more financial assistance. The problem then became cyclical because failure to meet this criterion meant lower allocation of funds, and lower allocation of funds meant failure to provide adequate academic programs for Black students.

The new system of financing higher education will necessarily have to be biased in favor of supporting HBUs. The system cannot simply ignore the inequities of the past and assume that all universities now have to be evaluated as though they were equal. They are not equal and future allocation of resources should reflect this disparity. Naturally, any mention of "biased" allocation of resources will and has aroused opposition from the HWUs who claim that they have increased their enrollment of Blacks in their universities, and thus require resources to support these "disadvantaged students."

The challenge with the re-allocation of resources is further complicated by how the various universities collectively identified as historically Black should be treated. Given that the status of Colored and Indian universities was elevated to that of HWUs when they were granted autonomy in 1983, does this entitle them to be grouped together with African universities? Further, should it be taken into consideration that these universities have received better funding and facilities relative to their African counterparts?

Although the ANC led government of national unity has pledged its support to the creation of an equitable system of education, the question of race cannot be treated nonchalantly. Failure to address this issue assertively will only perpetuate inequities which are so firmly entrenched at all levels of the South African system of education.