In an interview on the Sunday World podcast, Professor Meyiwa discussed her journey in higher education, UMP’s potential as a young African university, student success, innovation, good governance and the importance of preparing graduates to become change agents.
You are an accomplished scholar and academic; how did you get to this position?
It wasn't planned. I never thought of being a manager. My first love is teaching, and my second love is research, so I'm more a researcher than an administrator.
But the two sides are connected. To be an administrator who can make an impact, you need to understand what other administrators do and be alive to your context. Ultimately, people should be able to look back and say, “That was the time that we had transformation.”
You are the second Vice-Chancellor of UMP. What kind of institution have you inherited?
I'm very fortunate to have a good grounding in a university that has been built from scratch. It has very good infrastructure and a strong grounding in terms of values and people who are eager.
Having been to five other universities, I can say with confidence that our staff are very young, hungry and energetic. Because it is a new university, it has youth, energy and a sense that we can do things boldly because we are growing.
UMP describes itself as an African university creating opportunities for sustainable development. Where does that vision meet your own?
It meets very strongly. I define UMP as an African university, and our geographical position is very important. Eswatini and Mozambique are close, as are the borders with other South African provinces.
We need to be rooted in Mpumalanga, speak to and be alive to the challenges of the province, while focusing on our neighbours and the continent. At the same time, we need a global focus and to be known as a university making a contribution beyond our immediate surroundings.
Universities are often expected to compensate for weaknesses in the schooling system. How is UMP addressing the challenge of students who arrive inadequately prepared for higher education?
It is the university sector that should be prepared for the so-called unprepared students. At UMP, we have programmes that support students when they are at risk of falling behind. We have mentors and tutors, in addition to lecturers, professors and laboratory support.
Our throughput rate is close to 80%, which is very good for a growing university. But it is also important to recognise the knowledge that students bring with them. Each student who walks onto the university campus has brought knowledge, and we need to build on that knowledge rather than treating students as empty cups.
How do you link that approach to the challenge of graduate employability and the mismatch between what the economy needs and what universities produce?
We need to prepare students not only to become employees but also to become entrepreneurs.
We offer entrepreneurship programmes, operate an entrepreneurship hub to incubate ideas, and have established a Technology Transfer Office. We also launched the Centre for Continuing Learning and Executive Education to respond to the needs of the working world.
We don't simply decide what people should learn. We ask organisations about their “pain points” – what they are experiencing and what they want to see changed – and develop programmes around those needs.
There is a tension between calls to decolonise the curriculum and the rapidly changing digital economy, with AI and robotics transforming the workplace. How do you bridge that gap?
We need to balance where we are and where we want to go without disrupting our processes so much that we lose people.
Technology is important, but people remain very important. Systems are made by people, broken by people and can be reorganised by people.
We are working with companies on AI mastery so that students and staff can do work that may previously have taken a day in a few hours. We have also signed memoranda of understanding to ensure that UMP does not fall behind.
What will distinguish UMP from other universities in this increasingly competitive environment?
We want to respond to the needs of our communities and of Mpumalanga. We want to be distinct by being a one-stop shop for our communities and government.
When municipalities or government have problems they need to solve, we want them to know that UMP can assist. If there is a beautiful policy gathering dust because it is not being implemented and changing people's lives, we want to help make it implementable.
The higher education sector has faced governance failures and corruption. What is your message to the UMP community about protecting this young institution?
I've been a registrar and, through my experience, a compliance officer. Good governance is therefore central to my leadership.
My philosophy is simple: “You just do the right thing every day without blinking and for the benefit of the student and for the benefit of the university.”
Accountability is not merely something we talk about. I tell my students and staff: “Hold me accountable because I am going to hold you accountable.”
Five years from now, what legacy do you want to leave at UMP, and how would you like people to remember you?
I would like people to remember me as somebody who cared, but who got governance straightened up, who got people to account, but who was equally very compassionate.
I want us to be able to look back and say that during that tenure we transformed not only the tangibles but the University's value system – that we became more ethically astute in the way we manage our resources.
I'm fortunate to have inherited a university whose infrastructure has been delivered on time, within budget and to a high standard. The opportunity now is to strengthen the culture around it.
Finally, it is Women's Month. What is your message to the woman or young girl who aspires to greatness?
It is possible, but it will not happen by default. It will happen by intentionality. It will happen through networking and identifying mentors – not necessarily one, but several people you can learn from. It is about holding hands, learning outside your usual pigeonhole and seeking examples that can inspire you.
Hold your head up high, woman. Hold your head up high, girl. It is possible. It starts in your mind, but it also requires collaboration with other people and having a voice that says: “I want to be counted."
For the full interview, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJQxdqzWGbI&t=2169s