THE PRESIDENT'S REPLIES TO PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN REPLY

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

WRITTEN REPLY

Internal Question Paper No:

Date Published: 19 September 2014

1682. Prof B Bozzoli (DA) to ask the President of the Republic:

1. How does he define the terms (a) patriotic university and (b) academic freedom as a referred to in his address to the Progressive Professionals Forum (details furnished);

2. Whether he has found any universities to be unpatriotic; if so, (a) which universities and (b) what steps should be taken by such universities in order for them to be defined as patriotic;

3. (a) what he was referring to when he said in his statement that academic freedom refers to the fact that no one class dominates and (b) does he intend to introduce this definition of academic freedom into government policy; if so (i) when and (ii) through what mechanism?

NW2043E

Reply:

A patriotic university should be measured by its contribution to building a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society as directed by the Constitution of the Republic. It should also measure itself in terms of progress made in promoting transformation in terms of race, class and gender, as part of reversing the legacy of apartheid colonialism.

Our country has emerged from a divided past. We look to the intelligentsia in the free and democratic South Africa, in particular at universities, to contribute to the transformation of society by promoting ideas and producing young graduates and intellectuals who understand this heinous past of class and racial domination and who will ensure that the non-racial and equal society we are working for is fully achieved.

Universities must be able to produce graduates who are complete human beings. These are students who have full appreciation of the history of our country which was racially and economically divided, its present socio-economic challenges and its future of common purpose centred on the Constitution of the Republic and the National Development Plan.

Academic freedom flourishes by allowing all views and different ideological strands to find expression without fear, favour or prejudice. Universities should thus be thriving centres that allow all sorts of ideas and perspectives to flourish. They should not become platforms for a privileged few to propagate their views to students and the country at large and be closed to other opinions.

Issued by The Presidency, October 8 2014

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