'Varsities need more doctorates'

An official audit has found that many South African universities are failing to produce essential research.

The country's 23 institutions will pocket R1.2-billion for research conducted and published in 2009. But the audit, by a 12-member panel, showed that 60% of the research was by five universities, while eight others - including Walter Sisulu, Venda, Limpopo, Zululand and Durban University of Technology - produced only 3.8% of the total output.

Commissioned by the Department of Higher Education and Training, the panel found that:

• The universities of Cape Town and Pretoria came out top by jointly producing 26% of research in 2009, followed by KwaZulu-Natal, Stellenbosch and Witwatersrand with a collective 33.8%; and

• Durban's Mangosuthu University of Technology fared the worst, producingthe equivalent of four journal articles.

Experts say the top institutions have a good track record in terms of research, while others focus on teaching.

The panel said the calibre and qualifications of academics were key drivers in the volume of research produced. The universities which fared poorly, therefore, did not have many staff with doctoral and master's degrees. While 549 staff members at UCT had doctorates and 298 master's degrees, according to the department, Mangosuthu had five doctorates and 54 master's degrees.

The panel was led by Dr Prins Nevhutalu, the deputy vice-chancellor for research, innovation and partnerships at the Tshwane University of Technology.

Its report expressed concern over the fact that research output had declined at Walter Sisulu and Limpopo between 2005 and 2009. North West, Unisa and the Tshwane University of Technology also recorded a decline in 2009 compared with 2008.

Dr Mamphela Ramphele, chairman of the Technology Innovation Agency established by the Department of Science and Technology last year to stimulate technological innovation, said some universities were failing because they had "become prisoners of the past".

"We have some of the best brains for addressing problems such as waste removal and harnessing solar power, but we are not using their knowledge," she said.

Professor Nelson Ijumba, deputy vice-chancellor for research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said the top five universities should support the other universities by helping train their staff; sharing their facilities; and involving them in research .

"The universities must want to become research universities. Some are content with being teaching universities, and there's nothing wrong with that."

He said that despite the statistics, SA's researchers compared with the world's best.

Research produced by universities is measured by the number of journal articles, chapters in books, books and conference papers its academics publish annually in approved local and international publications.

The universities are due to collect R128000 from the department for every journal article and R640000 for every book published in 2009. This makes a combined total of R1.2-billion for published work.

In addition, the department will pay R1-billion to universities with master's and doctoral students involved in research and who graduated in 2009.

The department said the grants were meant to encourage an increase in research output.

Mangosuthu's acting vice-principal for academic affairs, Nokwethemba Ndlazi, said there was an urgent need to upgrade the qualifications of its academic staff to ensure "the required research output". She said universities of technology did not have a tradition of research, as technikons had provided "vocationally based education and training."

Despite Walter Sisulu's poor track record, Professor George Ekosse, director of research development, said output was "anticipated to increase significantly due to articles submitted".