2 the state of science in south africa
M A T H E M A T I C A L S C I E N C E S
ticians is not in any way reflective of under- 2.7 Concluding remarks
graduate enrolments, and the throughput
rate of black South African students to
postgraduate study needs attention. The
research pool has grown in absolute num-
D
uring the past five years, the African
Institute of Mathematical Sciences
(AIMS) project of connecting the
bers but the almost non-existent growth
scientific community in South Africa to the
in the number of students completing a
global scientific community by bringing in
Doctorate is likely to affect succession over
distinguished lecturers to give courses to
the medium to longer term. This is the most
postgraduate students who come from all
evident cause for concern.
countries in Africa is an innovative and no-
table experiment. The students spend nine
Aligned closely with the previous point, is
months at AIMS in Muizenberg studying for
the worrying fact that researchers in the
a postgraduate diploma and many of them
mathematical sciences of 40 years of age
and older accounted for more than 60% of
continue with Masters or Doctoral degrees
the total peer-reviewed journal article out-
at South African universities upon comple-
put between 2003 and 2006. These findings
tion of their diploma. This has benefited ap-
would suggest that the productive section
plied mathematics graduate programmes
of the research community is approaching
around the country in terms of recruitment
the latter part of its professional life, and
of students outside South Africa. As a Pan-
attention should be given to strategies for
African endeavour, it is to be applauded.
effectively involving more members of the
However, there are, to date, virtually no
younger generation, women and black
South African graduates associated with
scholars in the research and publication
the programme. In that sense, as an initia-
process.
tive to advance South African mathemati-
cal sciences, it has not been so successful.
Finally, the staff-student ratio of approxi-
This is an aspect of the programme that
mately 40:1 is unacceptably high if South
should receive urgent attention, namely
Africa seeks to achieve the objectives of the
the alignment of the programme with the
DST’s Human Capital Development Plan.
southern, rather than the northern, hemi-
Undergraduate contact teaching hours of
sphere academic timetable. Participation of
mathematicians, applied mathematicians
South African postgraduate students in this
and statisticians in the universities across
wonderful formative experience should be
South Africa are the highest among all the
made a top priority for the Department of
science disciplines. This is difficult to jus- Science and Technology and the Depart-
tify when one considers the importance of ment of Higher Education and Training,
mathematics as a core discipline and the both of which are providing significant
relatively low running or operational cost of funding to AIMS.
mathematical research.
80
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