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South Africa­ one year on

Monash South Africa is now into its second year and is on the way to making a significant contribution to southern Africa. KATHERINE LOCK reports.

Monash University's newest campus opened its doors in February last year and now has 170 students, keen to be part of the Monash global community.

The new campus, at Roodepoort near Johannesburg, was constructed on a greenfield site within 12 months of Monash's registration as a provider of higher education in South Africa.

The students have entered a new era of the university's development and brought Monash one step closer to having a campus or centre on every major continent. Monash also has a campus in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and it has centres in London and Prato, Italy.

The first students say they are proud to be part of a technologically advanced university with an atmosphere "like one big happy family".

The student population includes 50 students who are undertaking a preparatory program for entry into degree-level studies in 2003. The campus offers undergraduate degree programs in arts, computing, and business and commerce.

Monash South Africa's first year was an eventful one. While lecturers forged links with their colleagues on other Monash campuses, other staff threw their energies into establishing the new campus as an integral part of the community.

A Monash Student Association was formed, and its members helped develop a wide range of sporting, cultural and community outreach activities.

Monash South Africa pro vice- chancellor Professor John Anderson said the campus was beginning to build a reputation for excellence and was receiving strong support from schools, business and community leaders.

"This support has allowed us to start putting in place a number of projects that will lead to significant contributions, both within South Africa and throughout the continent," he said.

"There is substantial interest in using Monash South Africa as a base for education, training and research activities initiated by groups of highly committed business, community and political leaders in both Africa and Australia."

Professor Anderson said the campus had the potential to be a fertile ground for changes that could positively affect the lives of many people.

"Education is the key to making a difference here. Every contribution, however small, can help."

For news on the South Africa campus, visit www.monash.ac.za

Assisting development in southern Africa

A new centre has been established in Monash University's Faculty of Law to contribute to the development and reconstruction process in southern Africa.

The Centre for Law and Reconstruction in Southern Africa (CLARISA) will be based at Monash South Africa and will draw on the wealth of expertise and connections of the university's international law school.

Announcing the new centre, dean of Law Professor Stephen Parker said CLARISA aimed to make a significant contribution to the reconstruction and development of southern Africa by harnessing multi- disciplinary expertise in law, justice and governance.

Professor Parker welcomed the new centre's director, Professor Theo Scheepers, who has joined Monash South Africa from the Faculty of Law at the University of Potchefstroom, where he was deputy director of the Centre for Community Law and Development.

Professor Scheepers said CLARISA would focus strongly on legal issues within the context of political, social and economic reconstruction and governance.

"Advisory services, consultations and problem-solving interventions provided by CLARISA will centre around critical issues for southern Africa," he said.

"These include eradication of poverty; job and wealth creation; land use planning, management and development in relation to water, sanitation, housing, health and education; and integrated development planning for sustainable development."

Professor Scheepers said CLARISA would also be a research institute and work closely with the four other research centres in the Faculty of Law on projects involving human rights, privatisation and public accountability, forensic studies and law in the digital economy.

"CLARISA will provide those interested in law and reconstruction in southern Africa with the opportunity to undertake a research masters degree or PhD in development-related fields of study," he said.

"A funding network for CLARISA projects is being established in cooperation with international aid organisations, the World Bank, international corporations, labour movements, governments of Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries and professional bodies committed to the development of Africa."

Monash vice-chancellor Professor David Robinson said the establishment of CLARISA was an important step forward for the university.

"A centre based in South Africa and linked to the Monash global network opens up many new opportunities for Monash academics and research students," he said.

"The work will make a valuable contribution to our understanding of law and reconstruction internationally."

Student Profile ­ Godfrey Hlongwane

Monash South Africa student Godfrey Hlongwane used a computer for the first time in his final year of schooling ­ and the experience changed his life.

While he knew immediately what career path he now wanted to follow, he realised it was not going to be easy.

Getting to use a computer at school had been difficult enough. While the school, in the Mamelodi township north of Pretoria, had three computers in its newly established library, they were available only to staff, not to students.

It was Godfrey's science teacher who came to the rescue by bringing his own laptop to school, allowing Godfrey to use it to teach himself a range of programs.

According to Godfrey, this fuelled his decision to pursue his interest in computers at the tertiary level, but he did not know whether this would be possible.

An unexpected phone call from a former primary teacher alerted him to the possibility of applying for a bursary to study at Monash University's newest campus, in Johannesburg.

Godfrey did well in his final year of school, and was subsequently awarded a Monash bursary to undertake a Bachelor of Computing.

Because it was impossible to travel from the township to Monash each day, the university helped Godfrey find accommodation at a theological college a few kilometres from the campus.

His mother, who had casual work as a cashier at a supermarket, managed to cover Godfrey's rent, and with help from Monash, Godfrey was able to find part-time work as a waiter to help pay for food and other expenses.

According to Godfrey, university studies were difficult at first because they assumed a much greater familiarity with IT than he had developed. But with regular access to computers for the first time, he was coping well with his studies by the end of first semester.

Godfrey says his future will be dedicated to helping his community. "Eventually I would like to open a huge computer centre in the township I come from so that people can experience the technology and have more access to information," he said.

Leaving home for the first time and having to meet new challenges made 2001 an important year for Godfrey, one he hopes will set him on the path towards his ultimate goals.

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