Wits fights for the best

Wits University has gone on a massive global recruitment drive for postgraduate students.

"We got a sense that we were going in the wrong direction because our postgraduate-to-undergraduate ratio looked wrong," said acting dean of sciences Professor Halder Marques.

At present, about 70% of the university's students are undergraduates. It wants to achieve an even division of undergraduate and postgraduate students by 2018-2019.

Wits vice-chancellor Adam Habib said he was ready to engage in a "global war" to attract the best academic talent.

"If we are going to be the best, then we have to secure the best scholars and scientists on the planet," he said.

The university intends to increase postgraduates to about 35% of the student body next year.

Marques said that to narrow the country's huge skills gap there would have to be a stronger focus on post-graduate studies, especially in engineering and other sciences.

"Undergraduate studies do not address that gap," he said. "A three- or four-year degree is just not enough to equip us for the hi-tech 21st century.

"We need people to be at least at master's level."

He said highly technical developments in South Africa, including the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope, would need skilled manpower .

"If we can't provide [the skills] we will have to import them from America and Europe," Marques said.

The university has two research chairs on the Square Kilometre Array project and will introduce an astronomy course next year.

Marques said the university was hoping to attract postgraduate students in commerce, law and management.

Education analyst Graeme Bloch said the university had made the right move but, though this country was in dire need of science and engineering skills, it should not neglect other fields.

"We also need to interpret the changes we are going through," he said.

"You need sociologists as much as you need good scientists."