Unisa online - UNISA to promote racism awareness in training and policies

`UNISA is to develop its training and development programmes to incorporate training in racism awareness, as well as adopt an Anti-Racism and Racist Harassment Policy. Principal and Vice-Chancellor Prof Barney Pityana announced this to Senate at its meeting on 26 March 2008, and in a statement on racism released on 1 April 2008. Click here for the statement.

The University will also embark on a recruitment programme to ensure its staff profile makes appropriate progress in matching the country’s economically active population profile.

“At this time when the Programme and Qualifications Mix of the university as well as the design of a new curriculum are under review, the university will seek to develop a race and culture sensitive approach to curriculum. The renewal of UNISA must and will be built on a fully representative body of staff, academic and non-academic, at all levels… seek to alter the race, gender and disability demographics of UNISA staff and, more fundamentally, to transform the institutional culture into a genuinely inclusive one. By creating a sense of belonging everyone is bound to prosper and the university will earn its reputation as an African university of excellence,” he said.

Focus on mentoring and training younger African staff

A recent report compiled by UNISA’s Department of Information and Statistical Analysis showed that white staff dominated the senior ranks. White staff in senior positions also fell in the older categories while younger staff were mainly African. This implied that the University should focus on mentoring and training the younger African staff to fill senior posts as and when older white staff retired. Women academics were also under represented in the ranks of full professors.

In 2007, UNISA's total staff complement stood at 9 711. This comprised 4 046 permanent staff and 5 665 temporary staff. The number of temporary staff, including tutors and non-professional administrative staff, varies annually. The more than 1 000 permanent vacancies should be the focus of a recruitment drive to address the inequities in the staff profile.

Permanent staff complements by race was highly unequal

The overall composition of the total and permanent staff complements by race was highly unequal in relation to both the economically active and the total South African populations. While Africans constituted 79,6% of the population and 74,5% of the economically active population, they constituted 42,2% of total staff and 39,4% of permanent staff at UNISA. They were thus severely under-represented in relation to both of these external reference points.

Conversely, while whites represented 9,1% of the overall population and 12,2% of the economically active population, they formed 50,2% of total staff and 53,0% of permanent staff. They were thus considerably over-represented in relation to both external reference points.