From: gds@casper.cs.uct.ac.za (Riel Smit)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: Re: Absence of black posters from SA
Date: 12 Nov 92 16:55:06 GMT
Article-I.D.: casper.BxM4Bu.424
Reply-To: gds@cs.uct.ac.za
Organization: Computer Science Department, University of Cape Town

mark@uctvax.uct.ac.za writes:
>..., but we cannot deny the
>fundemental inequities in education in this country.

As you have pointed out, I did not deny this and yes, I am fully aware of the
appaling disparity in education from which this country suffers (and yes,
it is the country that suffers, not just the affected students, although
they obviously bear the brunt of the consquences).  I only mentioned the schools
as examples and in no way wanted to make it sound as if it is such a great
and wonderful thing that we are doing (it is by far not enough yet).

>Without degrading the actual work of bodies such as the
>Computer Society (or yourself) I became slightly cynical
>since you seem to have the name of one of the schools mixed
>up

The Computer Society is involved in that (I think) they were instrumental
in obtaining the computers. I am not personaly involved and simply relayed 
information given to me some time ago by the staff member involved so 
I might have confused names.

>I immediately ask the
>following questions: How deep are these programs?  When did
>they begin?  Is it simply a paternalistic liberal exercise
>(Company X or Y publically donating equipment and getting
>exposure out of it) or are the students and their
>communities being empowered by the process?

I will ask the person involved if he wishes to answer these questions.  My
impression has always been both he and the 20 or so students involved did
not want to make a big fuss about it, so I will leave it up to them.

I have no quarrel with the rest of your posting and if my posting could be
construed as attempting to paint a false picture of UCT, I apologise - it
certainly was not the intention.

>Perhaps someone from
>the department could advise us what measures they are taking
>to ensure that there is not such a high drop-out rate amoung
>black students going from undergraduate to postgraduate
>levels.  I would be interested to know whether the "black
>third" of the final-year class just doesn't have good enough
>marks to continue, or whether this is due to other pressures
>(such as finances).

If it is financial pressures it is because black computer science graduates
are so sought after by private companies that we just cannot compete with
what the companies can offer.  We get money from the Foundation for
Research Development as part of a Special Programme for Research Manpower
Development (in Computer Science) that we use specifically to support
graduate students that need support, so it should not be financial
pressures.  I have not analysed the marks on a racial basis.  We (as
everyone) do know, however, that DET students struggle when they get here,
which is why Computer Science has started COMPASS, the CS equivalent (more
or less) of the engineers' Aspect programme, to make it possible for
disadvantaged students to compete on a more equal footing from their second
academic year and up.  We are quite understaffed (we have the highest
student/staff ratio in the science faculty) and are doing our best with the
resources we have.  If anyone has bright ideas how to stretch those further
to achieve more, and better redress the imbalances, we are all ears.

>Let us acknowledge our problems openly and confront them,
>rather than pretend UCT is what it is not.

I quite agree.
-- 
Riel Smit,  Computer Science                              gds@cs.uct.ac.za
University of Cape Town                      gds%cs.uct.ac.za@rain.psg.com