For all women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment. This was the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, in March, which called for action that can unlock equal rights, power and opportunities for all, and a feminist future where no one is left behind, according to the UN.

It’s a statement that resonates strongly with Loshni Govender, executive director of human resources at the University of Mpumalanga (UMP), who says that the role of tertiary education, particularly in SA, closes the gaps in education and skills to create a pipeline of competent and confident women leaders.

‘Unfortunately gender transformation has not occurred at the pace it could have. It remains a crucial topic because many women feel they have to perform harder, work longer hours, and prove themselves – and this despite a number of degrees behind their name,’ says Govender.

‘While there are many role models who have pioneered pathways to change attitudes and advance women’s empowerment, much work still remains. It falls to us as tertiary educators to provide our future female leaders with additional skills that will help them navigate the world of work and the challenges they may face as women in the workplace.

‘Tertiary education is a pivotal platform that adds value in so many ways, and this applies equally to women as it does for men. It opens new ways of thinking, opportunities for growth, and development for individuals, communities and the country.

‘It is exciting in the way it provides opportunities for the exchange of ideas and a coming together of thought contributors and constituencies. Higher education is a nexus of traditional and contemporary systems and provides exciting platforms for engagement, innovation and change.’

While research suggests that women are more likely to be in teaching and administrative positions at the entry and mid-levels than leadership roles, this is not true of the UMP. It is hailed as contemporary, given it is one of the few universities in the country with a female vice-chancellor, Thoko Mayekiso, alongside a female dean of one of its faculties. Mayekiso’s voice thus carries much weight among the local communities, where UMP-led empowerment programmes highlight inclusion, equality and diversity.

‘Diversity is valued and celebrated in unlocking a range of interactions, and enhancing exposure to a wide variety of diverse cultures, backgrounds, views and opinions,’ says Mayekiso.

‘Here we acknowledge the dialogue of women, providing them with a platform that helps entrench their identity.’

The add-ons the UMP provides to women are beyond the usual educational aspects. It takes a holistic approach, which is encompassed in its mission – to offer high-quality educational and training opportunities that foster the holistic development of students through teaching and learning, research and scholarship, and engagement in collaboration with strategic partners.

The full extent of this mission is realised through the UMP’s embrace of open engagement and dialogue, which is an aspect of human resources that Govender says plays a central role in serving the surrounding rural environments. ‘We truly care about how we communicate with our communities, which in our case encompasses a variety of different cultures and origins, including Swazi, Ndebele, Afrikaans, Tsonga, Zulu, Mapulana, Portuguese and Pedi. Women in rural areas often struggle to find their voice in a language that is not their primary language, and can be ignored as a result. This is why we find our empowerment programmes to be crucial in upliftment of women in the area.

‘These activities are also essential to the UMP’s well-being. In providing such platforms we present a set of characteristics that impact on female staff attraction and retention factors.’

The UMP’s female staff are presented with a number of opportunities to further develop their talents through leadership programmes. One such is the New Generation of Academics programme, which involves the recruitment of highly capable scholars as new academics, against carefully designed and balanced equity considerations, and in light of the disciplinary areas of greatest need.

‘Successful applicants are appointed to permanent posts firmly factored into long-term staffing plans right from the outset, and appointments are governed by contracts that clearly spell out the expectations, obligations, roles and responsibilities of the employing university and of the newly appointed academic,’ explains Govender.

Another initiative is the Academic Talent Stewardship programme. This provides outstanding honours, postgraduate diploma and master’s graduates students who have come through the UMP undergraduate system with a three-year, fully-funded and carefully structured development programme that will prepare them for future appointment as lecturers at the UMP.

‘We emphasise and support a strong organisational culture, demonstrate excellence across the university, and provide support for all – but especially female – employees to perform at their best,’ says Govender.

This is achieved through developmental support initiatives, which include a good performance-management system that embeds feedback in discussions, subsidies for studies and monitoring leave of absences, which often is an indication of ill health. Overall wellness and the well-being of UMP employees is another important facet of care.

‘Much effort has been directed to support a range of initiatives that enhance women’s access to education and learning opportunities, including related administrative support required for the funding of these initiatives for UMP employees and their dependents,’ says Govender.

That there is a need to do more for women’s empowerment is not lost on the female leadership of the UMP. This year its theme for Women’s Day is Woman, Ignite Your Fire. ‘Our goal is to provide women with a safe space to reflect on their achievements as women and be motivated to aspire to achieve more,’ explains Mayekiso.

‘Equity and equality are bigger than any single individual. They are struggles to keep on fighting for, so that future generations of women students find the path already paved. We need to keep working hard at ensuring that women in education and business do not get the short end of the stick and are able to pass the torch to the next generation, which is central to progress.’

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