A curriculum focused on “critical race theory” is a major threat to the credibility and survival of South African higher education. This is according to Helen Zille, former Premier of the Western Cape province in her speech at Stellenbosch University’s (SU) alumni convocation meeting on 21 April.
The convocation meeting sought to discuss SU’s academic progress over the last two years and its role within the wider context of South African higher education, said Adv Jan Heunis, president of the Convocation.
Helen Zille, chairperson of the Federal Council of the Democratic Alliance, spoke at the Stellenbosch University (SU) Convocation meeting on 21 April about SU’s role as a space for the “open contestation of ideas”. PHOTO: Téa Bell
‘Fallen institutions’
Zille emphasised the importance of SU as a space for the “open contestation of ideas”, free from what she described as “anti-constitutional” agendas imposed on higher institutions by proponents of critical race theory.
“I sincerely hope that [SU] can avoid the illiberal fate that has befallen other universities by becoming a truly open university […] where it is not only safe, but encouraged for anyone to defend a position or express an opposition even if they are in the minority of one,” said Zille.
The University of Cape Town (UCT) is one such South African higher institution that Zille deemed “befallen”. According to Zille, this is due to its indulgence of credibility-harming critical race ideologies which, she argued, led to the resignation of its former vice-chancellor, Max Price.
Adv Jan Heunis, president of Stellenbosch University’s Convocation, acted as presiding speaker at their 21 April meeting, where Helen Zille, chairperson of the Federal Council of the Democratic Alliance, spoke. PHOTO: Téa Bell.
‘Reimagining a more inclusive SU’
In response to Zille’s speech, Jonathan-Dale Blanckenberg, an attendee of the convocation meeting, highlighted that, in addition to facilitating the open contestation of ideas, SU has a constitutional duty to make further education progressively accessible to the wider African community.
“How [can we] take all of our alumni on a constitutional journey to reimagine a more inclusive SU?” Blanckenberg asked Zille at the meeting.
Helen Zille, chairperson of the Federal Council of the Democratic Alliance, explained that constitutionalism has come under threat in her speech to attendees of Stellenbosch University’s Convocation Meeting on 21 April. AUDIO: Téa Bell.
“Universities are, by definition, institutions that aren’t for everybody,” Zille responded. “Many people don’t get the primary and secondary education that enables them to get to university.”
“I believe fully that universities need to go out and look for students who have the capacity to succeed,” said Zille. As a solution to inclusivity, she proposed a method of university entrance testing which does not assess a candidate’s prior knowledge but instead “their ability to absorb knowledge given to them in a question and apply that information to get to answers”.
A similar model was implemented whilst Zille was director of communications at UCT, which served as “a good predictor of capacity to succeed at university”, she stated.
Degrees were stretched out over four to five years to allow students to “catch up”, which made the programmes “very expensive”, according to Zille. However, it allowed UCT to identify “students who have the capacity to succeed at university but not necessarily the background that allows them to get in through conventional mechanisms”, added Zille.
Heunis thanked Zille for her attendance and described her as a “giant on the stage of public discourse in this country”.
Prof Wim De Villiers, vice-chancellor of Stellenbosch University (SU), spoke about the institution’s achievements over the last two years in a virtually screened address to attendees of SU’s Convocation Meeting on 21 April. AUDIO: Téa Bell.