Posted on by siphomabusela · 8 Comments

Happiness is not always a four letter word!

I recommend listening to this song by “Watershed – Don’t give up” whilst you read the blog 🙂

Ekunyamezeleni ukhona umvuzo! Those who know what this means  and understand it probably  think it’s a cliché but don’t you think it’s funny how clichés more often than not hit the nail on the head? The above IsiXhosa phrase means, “If you persevere and stay true to your cause then you will be rewarded’’. As I go through social media I notice a lot of entitlement and privilege, but people often don’t appear willing to work hard to achieve a worth-while result. I have always believed that with timely planning, results are assured, and persevering through a plan is not that hard. However, as a MSc student, I have come to realize that even the best-laid plans require a LOT of perseverance and grinding of teeth… You don’t believe me? Well, keep your eyes glued to the screen.

For three months after I registered for my first year Master’s degree, I was busy with my proposal and minding my own business. Things like the background, problem statement, justification and materials and methods of the study. Being the perfectionist that I am, I had everything planned out, from my proposal draft, submitting and correcting any errors, presenting the proposal, applying for an ethical clearance, procurement, starting the trial, collecting data and analysis to finally writing up the results. I had planned to wrap-up my MSc studies within two years as it should; but God (and many, many administrators) had different plans for me. What was to unfold the next two years is something that I’m sure most postgraduates can attest to: there is always an obstacle to fulfilling your plans. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t say there’s always something that stops you from reaching your goals, I’m just saying there’s always something that delays you from your goals. Either you fail to get funding, you can’t acquire the apparatus needed in your methodology, you struggle to get laboratories to analyze data the way you want, or even the quality of the experimental animals that you get isn’t good enough.

The first six months for me were smooth sailing, writing up, presenting my proposal and getting it approved… So, I wasn’t ready for what was to happen next. I needed to order experimental seeds. Easy, right? Not so much! While waiting for the seeds (after completing tons of paperwork), I stayed busy with writing and reading experimental papers. But then suddenly it was September and I should have started Phase 2 of my project. Was I on track? No! My supplier was wondering where the payment was, and so was I…Lots of hassling and waiting followed… Upon delivery, the proximate analysis was conducted on the seeds to have nutrient specifications for dietary formulations; the results took a month or so to get back. Dietary formulation took its own time; it was not until of my second year registered that it was finalized.

Eggs

It was only at the start of my second year that I could start ordering experimental apparatus. And right then, I received an offer to be on the Professional Development Program (PDP) at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) in Pretoria. I was very happy to have this opportunity, believing that I would be exposed to great facilities. I moved from Alice, Eastern Cape to Pretoria, quite overjoyed to have “arrived”. But there were demons even in this paradise. It took close to a year to procure feed ingredients and experimental birds… That was the end of year 2. And not a stitch of “real work” completed.

TempBut with the birds in hand, I gritted my teeth and promised myself that I would make this work. To cut the long blog short, I’m now in the final week of my experimental study, doing data collection with a smile on my face. The moral of the blog is that through tolerance and perseverance there is great reward. And the perseverance is not usually something that you can show – it’s often simply a process of being patient, and trying to not scream in frustration or pull out your hair. Even though my Masters didn’t go the way that I planned but I am still grateful for the opportunity that University of Fore Hare and ARC warded me. What most people would consider as chaos in their eyes is simply well orchestrated organized chaos from the almighty in mine.

In a nutshell, be aware that your PhD or MSc won’t go according to your plans. But plan anyway; at least plan on getting some sleep and time to de-stress! The reward will be great, and hopefully you did not burn too many bridges when your plans go belly-up.

Weather the storm

Posted on by Odi

#FeesMustFall: Re-imagining the University

The closing months of 2015 were marked by unprecedented student protests calling for both free tertiary education and the end to outsourcing of domestic and security workers within the university sector. It has become clear in 2016, as the #FeesMustFall movement continues and protests become angrier, South African universities are being re-imagined and altered. Undoubtedly, a change is necessary but the voice of post-graduate students in all of this seems to be mute.


Photo credit: barbourians via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

The truth is that university fees are out of reach for most South Africans. But, this piece is not intended to argue the merits or demerits of the current swell of student protests. It is becoming clear that no matter how these protests end, universities in South Africa are being forced to change. Professor Vuyisile Msila wrote an interesting opinion piece on the current wave of student protests and the need for the discussions around the social implications of symbols and knowledge systems. The main point that I got from his piece is that we still need to grapple with what higher education means at a societal level.

The media focus has weighed heavily on undergraduate fees, but that is just a tiny part of the equation. We are research leaders on our continent, but South Africans are powerfully affected by the state of international growth and global trends in research and education. With the global economy coming to a screeching halt and rapid digitization of knowledge, we haven’t really addressed how universities in South Africa can adapt and where post-graduates studies fit in addressing the challenges ahead.

We need to be asking — at least I know that I am – what is the purpose of being in a university or studying further, if it is not to help Africa meet its current challenges? Universities need to house innovation hubs, cross-disciplinary projects and overall be ahead of the developmental curve. Yet we are at a point where all of this could fall away if the change is not managed intentionally.

At the height of the protest, our department was warned that we have to be more financially prudent because of anticipated reductions in funding for non-critical projects. To be honest, I didn’t really feel the difference because my programme head has always been extremely cautious with funding. But, I wonder what the impact of the quality of tertiary education, at all levels, would be if appropriate funding couldn’t be found. Globally, there has been increasing pressure on the knowledge economy owing to increasingly scare funding. This has profound implications for African universities who are tasked with finding solutions to Africa’s various social and developmental challenges.

The university funding crisis also has implications with regards to talent rentention.          In European ,and American universities,the lack of appropriate funding has seen tenured positions become scarce. Similarly, South Africa faces an increasing risk that young graduates– particularly those who are black and/or female — would be co-opted in the university system without the prospect of getting a full time job. It is understood that you are likely to start your working career at a university in a contract or ad hoc position-which has a smaller pay package than that of full-time staff. What is clear, however, in the aftermath of the fees must fall, is that full-time opportunities are going to dry up and that teaching would likely be undertaken by staff from historically marginalised groups. This does not sound horrible at face value, but these “adjunct” lecturers will receive considerably less pay with little to no prospects of change. Such a system is running rampant in the USA, with devastating consequences for researchers. In South Africa too, brilliant academics of all persuasions would leave the universities for the private sector because of their inability to meet their basic needs.

Surely, we don’t want to simply repeat the mistakes being made by our international competitors. I leave this piece with two questions: What should the ‘new’ South African university look like? And, where do post-graduates fit in in creating the new academy?