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UCT Alumni have key role to play in building SA's future
21 September 2010
Education is a tried and tested route out of poverty and UCT and its alumni have a key role to play in accelerating South Africa's path to prosperity.
So says Dr Mamphela Ramphele, former Vice-Chancellor of UCT and Director of the World Bank, who addressed a 450-strong crowd of alumni at the University last month.
Entitled "Beyond Philanthropy - and towards investing in the Future", Dr Ramphele's lecture at the UCT law faculty on Monday 30th August, focused on the problems that South Africa is grappling with as it seeks to cement its gains since the end of apartheid. Chief among these, she says, is falling standards in education, corruption and a passivity on part of South Africans in letting this happen.
"Why are we so tolerant of dysfunctional schools, when they are nurturing the future of our country," she asked, adding that the teacher's strikes and the soccer world cup, which took precedence over the education of children is indicative of how poorly South Africans rate the importance of education.
"Society is riddled with inequalities that undermine our greatness", said Dr Ramphele before going on to say that while living standards in South Africa are, for some very high, the vast majority of South Africans still have a lived reality that is "totally unacceptable" and in some cases worse even than under apartheid.
"We know deep down in our hearts that there is something seriously wrong with our country," she said. "But we have become tolerant of inequality because empathy is in short supply. We are a nation of me, myself and I."
Holding the opinion that a literate and well-educated society is at the root of a successfully run and morally conscious country, a large portion of her argument centred on the subject of schooling and the problems inherent in the education system. Dr Ramphele declared that we as citizens and "shareholders" of the country, and UCT as a highly regarded and capable University, have a responsibility to change the status quo.
For alumni, this means specifically that they must step up and support their alma mater financially and encourage it to contribute towards a more just society. Ramphele said that while there is a well-developed culture of giving in the US, it is still lacking in South Africa, but that it needs to be cultivated if the country is ever to make a dent on the social challenges it faces.
"What difference are we as alumni making? What contribution are we making to change, what value-add are we brining?" she asked, adding that by giving back alumni will cement their pride in the institution and that this could make them feel more connected to the country as a whole.
"I think that it is out of a sense of not being part of a whole that we as South Africans have developed a tolerance for inequality," she said.
Dr Ramphele left the audience with a single rallying call.
"Fellow alumni," she said. "We have a responsibility to lead. To those whom much is given much is expected!"
Dr Ramphele's address was part of the ongoing Alumni Leadership Forum (ALF) guest speaker series arranged by the Department of Development and Alumni at UCT. ALF events are staged around the country and are free of charge. For more information go to the DAD Events Page .