Hon Speaker, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, members, ladies and gentleman, the Higher Education Act has established councils as the highest decision-making bodies of public higher education institutions. These councils are responsible for the good order and governance of institutions and for their financial policy, performance, quality and reputation.
The role of a council should be like that of a captain of a ship, who will ensure that he or she steers the ship in the right direction to reach its destination, even during extreme weather conditions. It is the responsibility of the councils to see to it that the institutions of higher learning are well governed to achieve their strategic objectives and the country's national development goals. A council should always discharge its statutory responsibilities without favour or prejudice and hold the executive management accountable.
The findings of the independent assessors in the majority of the cases have pointed to the inability of councils to discharge their strategic and fiduciary responsibilities. At the Walter Sisulu University, the findings were that the council failed to influence, in any tangible way, the deteriorating financial situation of the institution; it failed to hold management accountable for failing to implement its resolutions; and it also failed to resolve the crisis in respect of the Student Representative Council constitution. At the University of Zululand, both the assessor report and the Higher Education Quality Committee audits found that the council interfered with the day-to-day running of the institution and had taken charge of matters that were ordinarily senate matters.
It is also not of assistance if councils are aware of their statutory responsibilities, but are not discharging them accordingly. If the core business of the institutions - teaching and learning, research and community engagement - is undermined by the ineffectiveness of councils, the Minister has to intervene.
As already alluded to by the chairperson of the committee, the hon Malale, the Bill before us also seeks to give the Minister the power to intervene in the case of poor or nonperformance or maladministration by a public higher education institution; to provide for the dissolution of the council as well as procedure for such dissolution; and to extend the powers of an administrator to temporarily take over the management, governance and administration of the council of a public higher education institution.
We have noted the proposal made by some stakeholders during the public hearings. Some proposed that the council should be suspended, not dissolved. We are concerned that some council members served more than one term in some of the institutions that are under administration and were aware of the continuing challenges, but failed to resolve them. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]