Vetnuus | Januarie 2024 10 « BACK TO CONTENTS Leading Article would be two-fold, namely, to use some of their teaching staff on secondment or sabbaticals to assist in the initial staffing and to use their established clinical facilities to upscale the ability of our prospective students in the new faculty. The Premier of the Eastern Cape Province re-confirmed this offer from the Veterinary University of Hannover (TiHo) during his recent visit to Germany in November 2023. • Providing more funding and support for veterinary education, research, and service delivery, from both the government and the private sector. This could include subsidizing the cost of veterinary education, increasing the remuneration and recognition of the profession, improving the working conditions and career prospects, and ensuring compliance with national and international standards and regulations. This would also attract and retain more qualified and motivated students and staff, especially from disadvantaged and rural backgrounds. Whereas we have more than 8 medical faculties in the country, veterinary education has been relegated to the backburner by having only one veterinary faculty. The costs of establishing a new veterinary school are always in the spotlight!! Nobody has said it is cheap but, in a country, where food security and livestock contribution to the GDP is important with a population of over 60 Mio. people, availing money for the training of veterinarians is a priority. • Adapting and innovating the veterinary curriculum and pedagogy to keep abreast of the current and future trends and challenges in the veterinary sector, such as veterinary public health, food safety, emerging diseases, international trade, bioterrorism, and biomedical research. This could be done by adopting a one-health approach that focuses on the interface between wildlife, domesticated animals, humans, and their environment. This would also require a vision and a strategy for the future of veterinary education in South Africa, as well as collaboration and coordination among the various stakeholders and role players. • Improving the awareness and interest of the public and potential students about the veterinary profession and its importance and relevance to society. This could be done by promoting and advertising the profession and its services, as well as by engaging with schools and communities to expose and inspire learners to pursue veterinary careers. This would also increase the demand and appreciation for veterinary services, especially in rural areas. Most of the current crop of veterinarians in the State Veterinary Services especially in the management echelons are a direct product of a special programme which was established in most homelands pre-1994 to target and identify Black, Indian and Coloured people to study veterinary medicine at the then MEDUNSA. Since the demise of MEDUNSA, the number of new veterinarians from these three groups has continuously declined year on year and it will continue to do so unless we intervene. In conclusion, one cannot underestimate the challenges and opportunities of establishing a new veterinary faculty in the country. A new veterinary faculty in South Africa would require a lot of planning, funding, goodwill and support from the government, the private sector, and the academic community. Some of the challenges include finding a suitable location, securing land and infrastructure, recruiting, and retaining qualified staff, developing a relevant and rigorous curriculum, and ensuring compliance with national and international standards and regulations. However, these challenges are not insurmountable, considering that many countries on our continent with more compromised resources have been able to establish vibrant veterinary faculties whose graduates have made contributions to the profession the world over. And, these challenges also present opportunities for creating a modern and world-class veterinary faculty that would address the current and future needs of the veterinary sector in South Africa especially the need to support the “National Herd” which is mainly located in the rural areas. This requires a vision and a strategy for the future of veterinary education in South Africa, as well as collaboration and coordination among all stakeholders and role players, especially those who have never been part of this discussion, and by this, I mean our rural farming communities who are likely to be the main benefactors of a second faculty. There is an urgent need to widen the “ownership of the veterinary playground” so to say. This can only be achieved by opening this space and allowing new entrants to access this area which up to now has been reserved for a privileged few in our republic. Finally, to paraphrase a statement from the ruling party at the advent of the new dispensation: “Among the many urgent priorities on the agenda of the new African National Congress (ANC) government in 1994 was the extension of public services to the whole population that up to then only one South African population group had been able to take for granted. This discussion document considers the challenges of achieving this ambition, regarding the delivery of health and education services in South Africa in the post-apartheid state”. @Ivan Lwanga-Iga v
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