​“Die Veracruz-verklari​ng gee erkenning daaraan dat opvoedkundige instansies, in die besonder hoëronderwys instansies, daartoe geroepe moet wees om spesifieke en onontbeerlike bydraes in ons gemeenskappe, in Afrika en oraloor die wêreld te maak."

So sê prof Nico Koopman,  Viserektor: Sosiale Impak, Transformasie en Personeel, wat ʼn Universiteit Stellenbosch (US) afvaardiging gelei het na ʼn konferensie van die Talloires-netwerk (ʼn internasionale vereniging van instellings verbind daartoe om die burgerlike rol en sosiale verantwoordelikhede van hoër onderwys te versterk).  Koopman was ʼn spreker by die laaste parallelle-sessie waartydens die verklaring aanvaar is.

Die US was ʼn mede-ondertekenaar van die verklaring tydens die konferensie wat van 21-23 Junie by die Universidad Veracruzana in Xalapa in Meksiko gehou is. Leiers in hoëronderwys van oor die wêreld heen het die konferensie bygewoon, waaronder Dr Leslie van Rooi, aangewese Senior Direkteur: Sosiale Impak en Transformasie; dr Antoinette Smith-Tolken, Direkteur: Sosiale Impak; en me Monica du Toit, Hoof van die Transformasie-kantoor het ook die geleentheid bygewoon.

Die tema van die konferensie was “Social Responsibility and Human Dignity in Higher Education Engagement" (oftewel Sosiale Verantwoordelikheid en Menswaardigheid in Hoëronderwys Interaksie). ʼn Fokuspunt was hoe universiteite wêreldwyd ʼn bydrae kan lewer om meer regverdige, gelyke en voorspoedige gemeenskappe te skep. Dit het ondersoek watter praktyke benut kan word om vêrreikende uitdagings in die samelewing die hoof te bied, byvoorbeeld rasse-ongelykheid, armoede en ongeletterdheid.  Die konferensie het ook gepoog om ʼn toekoms in die vooruitsig te stel waar universiteite meer betrokke is by die samelewing.

“Die verklaring stel universiteite in die vooruitsig wat intellektuele leierskap bied in die samelewing se strewe na rasse-, geslags- en ekologiese geregtigheid, na geregtigheid vir almal; dit beeld universiteite uit wat gelykheid en ekwilibrium in alle aspekte van die lewe bevorder – ook wat ʼn lewenslange betrokkenheid by die universiteit-gemeenskap betref," Het Koopman gesê.

• Die Tallories-netwerk, bestaande uit 367 lede in 77 lande, se 2014-byeenkoms is in Stellenbosch gehou.  

Lees Prof Nico Koopman se volledige aanbieding hier:

Thank you for the privilege to respond as an African to the Veracruz Declaration. I come from the continent that is described by some as the so-called fourth world, as the continent that enjoys the highest level of exclusion from the, albeit ambiguous, benefits that contemporary political and economic systems have to offer. I simultaneously come from the continent where we live with a threefold hope: realistic hope because we have great human and natural resources and immense potential; resilient hope because bad circumstances and negative developments pull and stretch and challenge us but they do not break and destroy us; responsive hope because we seek to anticipate challenges attentively and to respond appropriately and pro-actively.

The Veracruz Declaration acknowledges that educational institutions, specifically institutions of higher education are called to make distinctive and indispensable contributions in our societies, in Africa and all over the world. This declaration provides to universities a threefold gift, namely an ethos, a logos and a pathos.

The Declaration provides an ethos and views the calling of universities as one of building the common good, i.e. a life of dignity, healing, justice, freedom and equality for all. The Declaration envisages universities that give intellectual leadership in the journey of societies toward racial justice, gender justice, ecological justice, justice to all; it sees universities that advance equity and equilibrium in all walks of life - also with regard to lifelong participation in university life.

The Declaration functions with a logos, a logic, a grammar, a rationality with various elements:

• the reciprocal social impact of universities should be integrated into  and embedded in all facets of university life;
• impact are to be made on all spheres of life (civil society with al its individuals and institutions; political life; the economy; public discourse and opinion formation; ecology);
• the contribution of universities should be scientific and critical, i.e. in a world of complexity universities should help us to resist anti-intellectualism and intellectual laziness that settle for oversimplification, and help us to deal constructively with complexity in all its forms;
• universities should resist the presumption and even pride that makes them adhere to notions of science for society, but we should rather function with the humble assertiveness that makes us practice science with society - moreover, the rest of society also impacts upon universities;
• we are invited to do our work in collaboration with local, regional and global partners in the context of glocality, i.e. in the context where the local and the global are in continuous conversation, interaction, and interdependency.

The Veracruz Declaration, thirdly, evokes pathos. In its introduction it says we are dedicated; it articulates our quest to be part of and to build relationships with various spheres of our societies in belief language - we believe, it says, we are convinced, we are committed; in  its conclusion Veracruz invites universities and other institutions of broader society to journey together, to be concerned about the things that we should be concerned about, to care about the things we should jointly care about, to be compassionate about the things that call for compassion. To be com-passionate is to share a pathos.

I am glad that African universities can also endorse the Veracruz Declaration and that we can be part of this global communion, this global circle of friends who live with this dignifying ethos, illuminating logos and caring pathos.