CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, FREE STATE: A HISTORICAL-STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS.

CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, FREE STATE: A HISTORICAL-STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS. Historically the structure of this institution was determined by international trends since the very beginning of technical and eventually technological education in the capitol of the Free State , Bloemfontein. First of all a Preparatory Technical School was started, which emerged into a Technical College. The academic debate vis a vis technical training and technological education culminated into the establishment of Colleges for Advanced Technical Education which also formed the impetus for the foundation of Technikon Orange Free State and eventually the Central University of Technology, Free State in 2004. ( Cf plan of a polytechnic in the office of the executive dean ; Faculty of Management Sciences for the former Bloemfontein teacher 's training college ) FROM PREPARATORY TECHNICAL SCHOOL TO TECHNICAL COLLEGE (1908-1929) A century ago the former Boer Republic of the Orange Free State was conquered by Great Britain in a devastating war. After the Anglo-Boer War in 1901, the conquered leaders, namely President MT Steyn and Generals CR De Wet, J B M Hertzog and advisors such as Brebner, regularly held private meetings under the “olive tree of co-operation ” on the farm Onze Rust outside Bloemfontein to plan how to rebuild the community of the Orange Free State. They especially concentrated on educational matters, inter alia the foundation of a Normal and Polytechnical School as well as a Preparatory (Voorbereidende) and Technical (Technische Hoche) School in Bloemfontein (Historical document, Motheo FETI ) Traditional farmers whose farms were destroyed, became city dwellers. Genl J B M Hertzog (whose museum house is about 500 metres from the current CUT Campus) also played a formidable role in the foundation of the National Academy for Science and Arts in the staffroom of the Polytechnical School in July 1909. In this way Bloemfontein became one of the academic centres for further and higher education as we know it today. WORLD WARS I AND II actually stimulated the growth of the South African Railway workshops in Bloemfontein -- for the war machine of Great Brittain -- and subsequently educational institutions, especially the Technical College. (Free State, Province College, 1998) Apprentices received their training mainly from tutors in the railway workshops. A form of co-operative (experiential) training system like the British Industrial Distance Education model were merged with Technical College theoretical training (De Beer,1994) FROM TECHNICAL COLLEGE TO COLLEGE FOR ADVANCED TECHNICAL EDUCATION ( 1929 – 1979 ) Staunched community leaders of the day , such as the late Mr TD Potgieter , took the lead with other influencial educationists , political and business leaders as well as academics from the University Free State , to establish a pilot committee in order to obtain a college for advanced technical education in 1979. This committee proved to be very successful and obtained the right from the then department of national education in Pretoria to go ahead with their need driven initiatives . Further initiatives in the 1970’s to establish a College for Advanced Technical Training in Bloemfontein followed. It was also during this period, that a battle ensued to acquire not only a “Technical Institute” but a fully fledged Technikon. Colleges for Advanced Training were renamed. Afrikaans speaking officials insisted that the “k” in the word Technikon should remain for the Afrikaans term ”kollege” when the English part of the name was merged with reference to British polytechnics which later became open universities in the UK. However, with a core character of a College for Advanced Technical Education, the fore runner of CUT opened its doors for the first time for learners on 1 January 1981 as the Free State Technical Institute under the Leadership of Mr J van Lill. In that year 385 learners registered mainly for Secretarial studies and Art and Design programmes. In 1984 it became the Technikon Free State with Dr J van Lill as Rector. SCIENTIA USUS GRATIA After the establishment of the Technikon , teachers in Latin, Mr J Fourie and Mrs D Coetzee were approached to devise a motto. The only clue they were given was that it should have something to do with applied science. So they came up with the motto Scientia Usus Gratia – Latin for Knowledge for the Sake of Use or simply Applied Science. One has to bear in mind that in Roman times the word " scientia " had a much broader content than the present day " science " It meant knowledge in the broadest sense of the word whereas science refers to the systematic classification of knowledge. Latin was thought to be a wise medium in a multi-lingual country like South Africa. So what is the connection between Scientia Usus Gratia and the ideals of a technological higher education institution ? At the heart of this motto lies the hypothesis that we shall not be able to gather knowledge and apply it scientifically unless we succeed in preserving a civilised society. ( Fourie, 1998) FROM TECHNIKON ORANGE FREE STATE (TOFS) TO TECHNIKON FREE STATE (TFS) (1981-1994) During this period, Technikon Free State went through a struggle for tertiary autonomy. It had to establish itself next to the University of the OFS and other traditional academic institutions such as the former Technical College. As in the case of the Higher Education history in Europe, technical education, which was often provided by firms, was seen in opposition to general education. Although the replacement of education by training had to happen to meet the needs of the labour market, it met with considerable resistance. (Touraine, 1980:190) . This also became the case in South Africa . Higher Education was all of a sudden entrusted to labour alliances (trade unions) and not only to academics at traditional universities. This international trend defined the distinction between universities and technological or polytechnic institutions especially in Germany and the United Kingdom. It became a choice between èlitest humanism and a techno-bureaucratic professionalization (Ibid) Political transition in South Africa also had an holistic change of nearly every sphere of life . Subsequently the omission of the word “Orange” in the name of this province bares significant transitional political meaning . After the new constitutional dispensation in South Africa was installed in 1994, the name of the Province of the Orange Free State to change for a variety of political reasons, such as the idea to counteract the colonialist legacies of the past and to establish a single co-ordinated highetr education landscape. For example , the University Orange Free State also changed to UFS without reference to " orange " which reflected Dutch cultural influences. Without any further hesitation, the former Technikon OFS also changed its name to only Technikon Free State. All these changes happened nearly within one decade . Barely a year after the institution began, in 1982, it out grew the venue that was vacated by the Commercial High School in St George Street, where the first classes were conducted. In 1983 the second high school building in Pres. Brand Street was made available and in 1988 the Eunice Girls High and secondary school buildings and the former Bloemfontein Teacher's Training campus were allocated to the CUT. It was in July 1991 and September 1991 that the CUT took occupation of the new main building and the new engineering building respectively. In July 1991 the institution took occupation of a renovated building for Food and Clothing Services. It was between 1992 and 1993 that the building of the former Bloemfontein College was ready for use by the Faculty of Management Sciences . The Faculty of Applied Science occupied the newly erected Dirk Coetzee building by the end of 1993. The Boet Troskie hall was officially opened on 5 October 1993 and in April 1994 the sport pavilion was completed. The new Library and Information Centre was officially opened on 18 March 1998. Permission was granted that degree programmes could be offered and professorships be awarded. Honorary doctoral degrees were since awarded to renowned persons and community leaders as well as international scientists. DISTANCE AND ELECTRONIC EDUCATION Since the founding years in 1985 of the “branches of the Technikon OFS” they have been constantly characterised as community-driven needs for higher education. The first branch was established in Kroonstad at the Correctional Services Training College. In 1989 the first group of distance learners acquired their National Diplomas. The former Technikon Free State was one of the first residential Technikons in the country to launch distance education programmes. On 10 May 1989 and 7 September of the same year community leaders established action committees in Kimberley and Welkom respectively in order to extend the Technikon’s evening lecturers there as well. Initially the programmes Personnel Management and Cost and Management Accounting were offered. During subsequent years, programmes in Marketing and Sales Management were also extended. As in Kimberley and the goldfields, QwaQwa’s community leaders made an urgent appeal to the former Technikon in 1993 to open a distance campus in Phuthaditjhaba. During the following year the Technikon began offering all the distance education programmes of the Faculty of Management, including Information Technology, at the Boitjhorisong Teacher’s Training Centre (now the Lerelatshepe College). This was the furthest distance campus at 350 kilometres from the main campus in Bloemfontein. In 2001 and in 2002 a new landscape for Higher Education was formulated by the Ministry of Education. The franchise for distance education was allocated only to UNISA . Subsequently to the new Higher Education Policy of the National Department of Education , Technikon Free State had to restructure its distance learning sites. A new strategic and business plan was tabled to incorporate the Vista University campus in Welkom as a fully fledged satellite campus and to incorporate Virginia Jewellery Schoolas well . Due to instructions of the DOE , QwaQwa and Kroonstad were to be permanently closed down. Only in Kimberley , now Sol Plaatje , the newly established Central University of Technology, Free State would go into a partnership with other Higher Education role players, namely University Free State, UNISA, University North West and University Western Cape to establish an Institute for Higher Education in the Northern Cape. Concurrent with the most modern trends in Higher Education, CUT also established its own infrastructure to provide e-learning. Subsequently main campus as well as distance learners gained by this new development in educational technology. FROM TFS TO CUT (1994-2004) In preparation for the change to a Technological University , the institution decided to focus on science and technology. This idea of a university of technology was spearheaded by the Vice Chancellor and Principal, Prof AS Koorts who assumed duty in May 1996. His inspiration permeated through the entire institution to the extent that even though there seemed to be obstacles and the idea far-fetched, the spirit never died. Extensions were made to the engineering bloc , almost making the floor space double its size. This was completed by the end of 1998. For the past few years the thinking and activities of the CUT were directed towards becoming a university of technology as could be deducted from its vision. The vision gained momentum through the untiring efforts of the Vice Chancellor and Principal as already mentioned. He appointed an Institutional Commission in 1997 with the task of establishing strategic objectives and plans to serve as a framework for the transformation of the institution to a technological university. Fourteen task teams were formed and their final report was tabled and accepted by Council in March 1999. This report was negotiated with action plans for transformation and restructuring; programmers and offering of programmes, research, revised admissions policy, personnel development and redress of inequalities based on race and gender, more effective administration and financial management, accommodating diverse cultures and the promotion of inter-institutional cooperation. CONTEMPORARY OUTCOMES The following appointments were made from 1996 were part of the CUT’s transformation agendas: • In 1996 the first black vice-rector and chief director were appointed • In 1997 two black deans were appointed one for the faculty of Human Sciences and other for learner services. • From the same year various faculties and units started taking the issue of demographic representivity and equity seriously as reflected in their staff compositions. The number of black learners also grew extensively. Currently, the institution has more than 11000 learners the majority of whom being black learners. Presently the CUT has tree faculties viz. Faculty of Engineering & Communication Technology (with six schools), Raculty of Health and Environmental Sciences (with two schools), and the Faculty of Management Sciences (with five schools). There are also several Units established focusing on specialist knowledge include Academic Development, Academic Planning and Assessment, Research and Development, Technology Management, the Science Park, the Technology station for Metals Value Adding: the Centre for the Built Environment, The Centre for Entrepreneurship and Business Development, Unit for Applied Food Safety and Technology, the Centre for Rapid Phototyping. Centre for Co-operative Education. A school for post graduate studies under the executive dean for research development as well as the centre for Electronic and Technological Education are also evident of the contemporary outcomes of CUT at large. The former continuing education short courses have since been developed into multiple service learning accredited projects to serve the communities of the Free State and Northern Cape respectively. Today CUT also boasts with a number of Springbok sports men and women as well as on provincial level which enhances its status both on the national as provincial levels. Exhange programmes inter alia with China , Belgium , Germany and SADC characterise CUT as a truly globalised HEIS . Subsequently also contributing to the status and economic growth of the capitol of the province at large. Hind sight, the CUT grew from the very core of true technological educational principles and foundations since the dawn of this new century into a proud and modern higher educational technological institution of excellence . REFERENCES : Archive of the Central University of Technology , Free State . Library and Information Services . Oral history recordings. De Beer , KJ . 1998. Technikon Free State – A Historical – Structural Analysis : A Case Study In Philosophical Ideas. Conference on Ideology in Higher Education. Technikon Free State . Bloemfontein . 18-19 September. Fourie . J. 1998 . Scientia Usus Gratia . Co-founder of the motto of Technikon Free State . Sentraal High School .Bloemfontein Higher Education Act 101 , Republic of South Africa . History Documents. Circa 1909 . Motheo Further Education Training Institute . Mangaung . Touraine , A .1980. " Decline of Transformation of the Universities ? " Prospects . Vol 10 . No 2 . --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------