Higher Education Transformation Explored in Public Lecture

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The College of Humanities and the School of Education recently co-hosted a public lecture by Dr Deneese Jones, Provost at Drake University. Her lecture was presented as part of the College’s public lecture series on Transformation which drew a large crowd of academics across UKZN and other institutions, scholars, members of the public and students.

DVC and Head of the College of Humanities Professor Cheryl Potgieter reminded the audience that transformation is much more than numbers and should be engaged on intellectually.

She also announced that as part of the renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between UKZN and Drake University, Provost Jones is now an Affiliated Professor in the School of Education. ‘Dr Jones has agreed to mentor young academics to become full Professors and we are grateful for this.’

She further revealed that the College will be launching the Women in Leadership and Research Academy in the Humanities in the future.

Dean and Head of the School of Education, Professor Gregory Kamwendo, who played Director of Proceedings, welcomed Provost Jones and highlighted that the time spent with the Drake University delegation was fruitful and looked forward to the partnership with them.

Introducing Provost Jones, Academic Leader: Teaching and Learning, Dr Sithabile Ntombela in the School of Education spoke highly of the Provost and shared with the audience all of Jones’s academic achievements over the years.

Addressing the audience Jones looked at “Higher Education Transformation: An Historical Oxymoron in an Age of Globalization” in which she identified some of the shared struggles for equity, the fight to eliminate racism, and the aftermath that continues within a legacy of slow progress in the United States and in South Africa.

‘As a child, I experienced segregation first-hand.  It was not something my elders shared with me - not something I simply read about in a novel or a history book.  I lived segregation.  My memories of segregated water fountains, restrooms, and schools are vivid and just as distressing as if they happened yesterday.

‘Thus, my view of Higher Education is rooted in the belief that if my life and the lives of others like me is ever going to be different, the education that involves critical thinking and effective problem-solving is going to have to play a major part in that change.’

She went on to speak on the role of the youth in parallel events dating back to the school racial segregation in the South of the US and the 1976 Soweto Uprising in South Africa.

‘It appears that the disgusting vestiges of apartheid continue to shape South African politics, education, and society. Although South Africa’s Constitution mandates that the government make education accessible to all South Africans, many Black and low-income students face geographic barriers to good and effective schools, which are usually located in expensive neighbourhoods,’ she said.

Jones pointed out that education remains one of the poorest areas of performance in post-apartheid South Africa and one of the biggest causes of continued inequality and poverty.

‘I desire for us, at this juncture of the 21^st century - and as responsible educators in Higher Education - to function as thought leaders in our universities and colleges, to exhibit the same levels of courage, creativity and intrusive motivation exhibited by the youth in the early movements that can effectively deal with the legacy of our histories. The change must be systemic since we cannot afford to tolerate islands of excellence in a sea of inequity and injustice.’

Having looked at UKZN’s Transformation Charter, Jones remarked, ‘As I examined your charge for transformation in education, I was humbled by the direct, deliberate, and laser sharp focus for change that can be measured and studied.  I applaud the written effort.’

In conclusion to her lecture, Jones shared the powerful and emotional story by Elizabeth Silance Ballard titled Three letters from Teddy. It is told from the perspective of a primary school teacher, who takes a struggling learner in her class under her wing, receives three letters from him as the years’ progress accounting his academic excellence to finally becoming a doctor. Jones believes the story has relevance for any and all educators.

The public lecture thereafter led to a thought-provoking discussion with many audience members conversing on various issues in relation to transformation, often sharing their personal experiences, adding to the powerfully emotional lecture.

In response to the lecture, School of Education’s Professor Pholoho Morojele said, ‘What was striking for me is how both Black Americans and Black South Africans continued to experience racism and ideologies of White supremacy even after it was officially banned. I felt that we needed to theorise more around the foundational logics of human resilience and agency as alternative discourses against social injustice, instead of the current dominant discourse which tends to focus on the logic of racism etc and therefore, even if negatively, reinforcing it.’

Professor Kesh Govinder, Dean and Head of School: Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, said, ‘Dr Jones gave a wonderfully inspiring talk drawing on her lived experience and that of other African-Americans.  She was able to share very real and difficult issues with us in a most engaging manner.’

‘I was particularly touched by the audience’s response to her talk.  Instead of questions, many shared their own struggles with the rest of us.  It is clear that, what started as, an academic seminar series has been “transformed” into a space of sharing and healing. We need more of these in South Africa.’

The next lecture in the College of Humanities Transformation Series will be held in collaboration with the Centre for Critical Research on Race and Identity (ccrri) on 22 October (Wednesday) at the Howard College Theatre at 18h00. The lectures are held in the evenings to allow for greater accessibility to a wider audience. 

Melissa Mungroo