DHET update on two university research studies: Gender Transformation and Sexual Harassment in Higher Education Institutions

At the first sitting of Universities South Africa’s Transformation Managers’ Forum (TMF) in March, officials from the Department of Higher Education and Training presented plans of the Directorate: Social Inclusion. They also updated TMF members on progress made on two recent research projects.

The Director: Social Inclusion & Equity, Ms Sesi Mahlobogoane, said that DHET, in collaboration with the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) and Higher Health (HH), had launched an outreach campaign in February this year, focused on promoting safer campuses — free from sexual harassment and Gender Based Violence (GBV) while addressing other critical issues such as mental health and civic education.

This partnership, said Mahlobogoane, was necessitated by the findings and recommendations of the CGE’s investigation into sexual harassment noted at universities and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. The Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, and the CGE Chairperson, Advocate Nthabiseng Sepanya-Mogale, also attended the launch.

She said as part of the collaboration, a series of outreach activities aimed at furthering awareness and accountability would be held during the year to ensure the implementation of the CGE’s recommendations to advance gender equality. 

Mahlobogoane reiterated the importance of public universities reporting, and the input and participation of all stakeholders: “We need report-backs every quarter, even if they are informal, so that we have updated information readily available and don’t have to approach institutions every time we get a Portfolio Committee or a Parliamentary question.”

“Due to the CGE findings on the slow pace of gender transformation and rampant sexual harassment in our institutions, the Deputy Minister believes that all stakeholders have to work together. It is not something that DHET can tackle alone.”

She said the Deputy Minister had pledged her support for the Post-School Education and Training (PSET) sector. “G20 side events will be hosted by some institutions, including one at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in July, focusing on Gender Equality and GBV. The DHET is also planning a workshop with TMF members around social inclusion.”

Mahlobogoane advised institutions wishing to conduct social inclusion workshops, whether for staff or students, to approach DHET: “It will be on a first-come, first-served basis, from the beginning of April,” she said, citing a limited budget. She also urged all the universities and TVET colleges to take part in the End Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) 100-Day Challenge.

Next in line on the TMF agenda was Ms Noko Mailula, Deputy Director:  Social Inclusion & Equity at DHET, who updated the members on progress made on two research studies: a)The state of Gender Transformation and b) Sexual Harassment in the Higher Education Institutions, undertaken by the CGE.

Four universities – Walter Sisulu University (WSU), University of Fort Hare

(UFH), University of the Western Cape (UWC) and Sefako Makatho Health Sciences University (SMU) – had been chosen to take part in the Gender Transformation survey, while the study on Sexual Harassment covered all public universities. 

The research revealed the following on Gender Transformation:

• There is no representation of persons with disabilities and other races at top management level (eight African males and five African females)
• At Senior Management Service (SMS) level (30 males and 18 females), there is no representation of persons with disabilities.
• Academic staff comprises 583 males and 516 females.
• Females dominate in administration. Of the 847 positions, females hold 473 and males 394.
• Females are in the minority at the top, SMS and academic levels. There is no representation of persons with disabilities at any occupational level.

• Of the six positions in top management, two are filled by females and four by males. People with disabilities are not represented at this level.
• There are 18 senior management levels; four filled by females and 14 by males, with none with disabilities at SMS level. 
• The workforce profile at UFH presents an over-representation of African males at top and SMS levels. It also indicates the lack of representation of persons with disabilities at these levels.

• There is a skewed or over-representation in the top, senior and academic positions as well as at the Professor and Dean levels.
• The university does not have a policy to promote the inclusion of LGBTQI+ persons and the policy providing for disability is still under consultation.
• The sexual harassment policy is not in line with the Code of Good Practice on the Prevention and Elimination of Harassment in the Workplace 2022.
• The university is experiencing difficulty in addressing the equity barriers that are deeply rooted in the institution’s social culture, further perpetuated by its location and scarce skills.

• The university employs 2553 personnel, 1552 females and 1001 males. There are seven top management positions (five held by females and two by males). There are 36 positions at SMS level; 19 are held by women and 17 by men. The academic staff comprises 630 females and 376 males.
• UWC has an assigned Employment Equity manager.
• Gender transformation is a key part of the responsibilities of top and senior management with decision-making at executive level.
• Gender equity is a priority; the university also reports to Employment & Labour in line with Employment Equity Act requirements.

Findings of the Sexual Harassment study regarding all public universities and TVET colleges

• Universities are beginning to take serious action against perpetrators of sexual harassment.
• The universities’ improved response to sexual harassment is evident in the existence of policies and awareness interventions on the various campuses. However, questions remain about the unevenness of policies in place. A lack of a national policy on sexual harassment was pointed out as a limitation. 
• Nelson Mandela University (NMU) reported and submitted extensive policy documents to the commission.
• There was an under-representation of the experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community. This confirms an assertion that GBV is construed as male-to-female in a cis-heterosexual encounter. This is untrue as it can be same sex violence and harassment.

The survey also uncovered the following, which constitute sexual harassment:

• Lecturer-student relationships.
• Peer relationships, for example, in the SRC.
• Sex for marks/grades.
• Sex bartered for accommodation.
• Rape.
• Stigmatisation as well as verbal and physical abuse of the LGBTQIA+ community.
• “Marriage internships” in which female and male students share accommodation but the females are expected to do the day-to-day chores.

Mailula said her directorate then commissioned a follow-up survey enabling universities to provide details of the current situation at their institutions in response to the CGE findings and recommendations.

“A template/questionnaire was developed by the DHET, addressing the 17 recommendations made by the CGE on Sexual Harassment. We sent these to the universities and asked them to show what measures they had put in place, and what they are going to do to address issues raised by the Commission and the challenges they face in doing so. The questionnaire also asked about future plans, budgets, responsibilities and time frames.”

She said that out of the 26 public universities, 18 had responded to the Sexual Harassment template and four to the State of Transformation in the Institution of Higher Learning questions. Some had answered all questions, and others only partially, leaving many questions unsatisfactorily answered.

Based on the CGE reports, Mailula said the office of the Deputy Minister was currently coordinating the stakeholder programme together with the CGE and Higher Health. An outreach programme officially launched at the end of February targeting several universities would start in Kwa-Zulu Natal before proceeding to the Eastern and the Northern Cape.

“Universities that did not submit the survey reports or submitted incomplete reports are urged to do so. DHET will compile and submit a full report to the CGE, through the Deputy Minister’s office, for further processing and engagements,” she said.

In closing, Mahlobogoane emphasised that the DHET and the universities are in this together and should support each other: “We are not trying to police universities. Just as we share the success accolades, we both bear the consequences of failure.”

Dr Claire Kelly, Director: Equity and Institutional Culture at Rhodes University, agreed: “There seems to be duplication in reporting the same information to different stakeholders. A way to streamline reporting must be investigated as social inclusion reporting is a vast undertaking.”

Mahlobogoane said it was difficult to get annual reports from university branches. As a solution, she suggested that annual reporting on social inclusion be directed at the DHET. “However, when some of the required information is not included in your reports, we must seek fresh information.”

The TMF concluded that it may be beneficial to investigate a streamlined reporting process while also compiling a list of reports that universities submit annually.

Janine Greenleaf Walker is a contract writer for Universities South Africa.