An Eastern Cape-born academic was appointed the seventh vice-chancellor of the University of Western Cape (UWC) last week.
Professor Tyrone Pretorius was born in Sterkspruit and spent part of his childhood in King William’s Town.
Speaking to the Saturday Dispatch, Pretorius said: “We were an extremely large family; most of my memories of Sterkspruit revolves around family events and gatherings.”
Pretorius said despite only attending two years of primary school in Sterkspruit, most school holidays were spent there, which he regards as his “ancestral home”.
His primary education was completed in Cape Town and his secondary schooling at Carlton van Heerden in Upington.
“My formative years were deeply influenced by the time spent in the rural Sterkspruit. With no technology or electricity, family and friendship bonds were the mainstay of our existence.”
Pretorius said his extended family is still based in Sterkspruit as well as the surrounding areas of Lady Grey and Aliwal North. He also has a family in King William’s Town, while his mother and brother live in East London. “I regularly visit them,” he said.
Pretorius has four siblings, his sister Ann, who stays in Port Elizabeth, youngest brother Wesley, who practices as an attorney in East London and “my two brothers, Graham and Bennie, who live in Cape Town”.
He said he would like to return to the province after completing his stint at UWC.
“If I were to leave UWC at the end of my contract it would make logical sense, given my connections to the Eastern Cape, to consider possibilities there – probably in education or even the field of psychology.”
He said the state of education was a national concern but the issues were amplified in the Eastern Cape.
This was due to the vast number of extremely rural schools, as well as the extreme levels of poverty.
“But education is a project of hope, a project of optimism and we have to believe that the commitment is there to turn things around. We have no choice otherwise we have no future. I believe there is no magic solution – it will require resources, commitment and a large number of roleplayers in which the role of government is key.”
Asked what could be done to resolve the yearly challenges faced by historically-disadvantaged higher learning institutions in the Eastern Cape, he said government was currently reviewing the allocation of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
“The NSFAS issues are about systemic issues as well as limited resources. It is unfortunate that the campuses are where conflicts are experienced when at a systemic level we have a very centralised system.”
“There is currently a process under way to review the systemic issue. Generally, however, demand exceeds the funding available and this is an area that requires innovative solutions.”
He said NSFAS was a form of loan where repayments should occur once the recipient starts earning above a certain income level.
“Thus apart from the distribution side we also need to look into the collection side to ensure new funding becomes available. There are good examples of such schemes internationally, even in the developing nation context and we should try and learn from successful implementations,” Pretorius said.
He said under his leadership UWC would continue its role in contributing to the improvement of schooling all over the country.
“In the last 15 years, I understand UWC has been extremely active in various projects in the Eastern Cape, targeting both teachers and learners. For example partnering teachers in poorer performing schools with those in top performing schools to share best practice in teaching of maths and science. UWC’s involvement in this, through structured programmes, has been critical in capacitating teachers to achieve better learning outcomes.”
Pretorius said he was inspired by UWC Prof Shaheed Hartley who established science learning centres at rural and urban schools and connected these centres to the university via technology so that pupils and teachers could benefit from science teaching by the university’s professors.
“While some might argue that the technology divide mitigates against such innovation there are best practice examples from all over the globe that indicate it is not an insurmountable obstacle,” he said.
Speaking about his appointment, he said he was excited and humbled by the trust placed in him to lead UWC.
“UWC is rightly one of the eminent research-intensive universities in South Africa and enjoys an outstanding reputation in areas such as space science, biotechnology, hydrogen fuel research, and bioinformatics as well as nanotechnology.”
He said he plans to build on this solid foundation.
“I have in my inaugural address identified several key areas of focus – an internationally recognised, research-led learning institution that is anchored in its geographical place, Bellville, Cape Town, Western Cape and South Africa.”
Pretorius said he had worked through the ranks to get the position.
He had started working at UWC as an academic assistant after completing his Masters degree in psychology.
He has worked through all the academic ranks to the level of professor. —msindisif@dispatch.co.za
E Cape academic new UWC vice-chancellor
Professor Tyrone Pretorius was born in Sterkspruit and spent part of his childhood in King William’s Town.
Speaking to the Saturday Dispatch, Pretorius said: “We were an extremely large family; most of my memories of Sterkspruit revolves around family events and gatherings.”
Pretorius said despite only attending two years of primary school in Sterkspruit, most school holidays were spent there, which he regards as his “ancestral home”.
His primary education was completed in Cape Town and his secondary schooling at Carlton van Heerden in Upington.
“My formative years were deeply influenced by the time spent in the rural Sterkspruit. With no technology or electricity, family and friendship bonds were the mainstay of our existence.”
Pretorius said his extended family is still based in Sterkspruit as well as the surrounding areas of Lady Grey and Aliwal North. He also has a family in King William’s Town, while his mother and brother live in East London. “I regularly visit them,” he said.
Pretorius has four siblings, his sister Ann, who stays in Port Elizabeth, youngest brother Wesley, who practices as an attorney in East London and “my two brothers, Graham and Bennie, who live in Cape Town”.
He said he would like to return to the province after completing his stint at UWC.
“If I were to leave UWC at the end of my contract it would make logical sense, given my connections to the Eastern Cape, to consider possibilities there – probably in education or even the field of psychology.”
He said the state of education was a national concern but the issues were amplified in the Eastern Cape.
This was due to the vast number of extremely rural schools, as well as the extreme levels of poverty.
“But education is a project of hope, a project of optimism and we have to believe that the commitment is there to turn things around. We have no choice otherwise we have no future. I believe there is no magic solution – it will require resources, commitment and a large number of roleplayers in which the role of government is key.”
Asked what could be done to resolve the yearly challenges faced by historically-disadvantaged higher learning institutions in the Eastern Cape, he said government was currently reviewing the allocation of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
“The NSFAS issues are about systemic issues as well as limited resources. It is unfortunate that the campuses are where conflicts are experienced when at a systemic level we have a very centralised system.”
“There is currently a process under way to review the systemic issue. Generally, however, demand exceeds the funding available and this is an area that requires innovative solutions.”
He said NSFAS was a form of loan where repayments should occur once the recipient starts earning above a certain income level.
“Thus apart from the distribution side we also need to look into the collection side to ensure new funding becomes available. There are good examples of such schemes internationally, even in the developing nation context and we should try and learn from successful implementations,” Pretorius said.
He said under his leadership UWC would continue its role in contributing to the improvement of schooling all over the country.
“In the last 15 years, I understand UWC has been extremely active in various projects in the Eastern Cape, targeting both teachers and learners. For example partnering teachers in poorer performing schools with those in top performing schools to share best practice in teaching of maths and science. UWC’s involvement in this, through structured programmes, has been critical in capacitating teachers to achieve better learning outcomes.”
Pretorius said he was inspired by UWC Prof Shaheed Hartley who established science learning centres at rural and urban schools and connected these centres to the university via technology so that pupils and teachers could benefit from science teaching by the university’s professors.
“While some might argue that the technology divide mitigates against such innovation there are best practice examples from all over the globe that indicate it is not an insurmountable obstacle,” he said.
Speaking about his appointment, he said he was excited and humbled by the trust placed in him to lead UWC.
“UWC is rightly one of the eminent research-intensive universities in South Africa and enjoys an outstanding reputation in areas such as space science, biotechnology, hydrogen fuel research, and bioinformatics as well as nanotechnology.”
He said he plans to build on this solid foundation.
“I have in my inaugural address identified several key areas of focus – an internationally recognised, research-led learning institution that is anchored in its geographical place, Bellville, Cape Town, Western Cape and South Africa.”
Pretorius said he had worked through the ranks to get the position.
He had started working at UWC as an academic assistant after completing his Masters degree in psychology.
He has worked through all the academic ranks to the level of professor. —msindisif@dispatch.co.za
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