Pretoria - The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) intends to be a knowledge hub of research networks that researches, analyses, informs public policy debate, and proposes solutions, said Dr Olive Shisana, the new CEO of the HSRC. Spelling out her vision for the HSRC at the launch of the organisation's annual report, Shisana said research networks would comprise researchers, policy makers, programme developers, non-governmental organisations and donors. These networks would aim to implement evidence-based programmes arising from research. She said networks would help to bridge the gap between research, policy and action, thereby increasing the impact of research. An example of such implementation research was a study on the demand and supply of educators and the effect of HIV/AIDS on the profession, conducted by the HSRC in collaboration with the Medical Research council (MRC) and the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Parties to the Education Labour Relations Council – comprising the national and provincial departments of education, the South African Democratic Teachers Union, (SADTU), the National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA), the Suid Afrikaanse Onderwysers Unie (SAOU), and the National Teachers Union of South Africa (NATU) – worked with the South African Council of Education and researchers to ensure that the project addressed policy needs. The results of this study – one of the largest and most comprehensive projects on education in South Africa - were used in designing interventions. Shisana said because of the study, the teacher's unions have introduced an antiretroviral treatment programme for educators living with HIV/AIDS in the three most heavily affected provinces. Another vision is to engage with the rest of the African continent – not as colonisers or imperialists – but to gain knowledge from other countries; as a catalyst to encourage researchers in other countries to undertake research themselves; to do collaborative research; and to assist in capacity building initiatives in countries where there is such a need. On the financial management and overall performance of the HSRC during the 2004/05 financial year, she said the organisation continued its upward trend of sound financial management and excellent performance against its own rigorous benchmarks. These benchmarks include: expanding the HSRC's funding base through contracts and grants in a sustainable manner (the HSRC managed 283 projects during the year under review); outreach to other institutions to improve external collaboration which benefits the HSRC; meeting user's needs by doing relevant research; improving organisation performance in terms of efficiency and equity; and ensuring research excellence.
‘For every R1 the HSRC received from the Parliamentary grant, the HSRC managed to earn close to an additional R2 to augment its research budget, from other sources. This money was obtained to support public interest research’, Shisana said. The organisation has not accumulated either a substantial surplus or a deficit, despite having to manage an overall turnover of close to R240 million for the year. In terms of publications, almost every senior researcher, on average, had published a peer-reviewed article in the course of 2004/05, which is excellent by national and international standards. She mentioned several other special research achievements, including: A large-scale survey of training in private enterprises across the South African economy for the Department of Labour. This survey will assist the government in monitoring the implementation of the National Skills Development Strategy. Through the Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Research Alliance (SAHARA), the HSRC has been able to reach out to the African continent to jointly undertake multi-country, multi-side studies in HIV surveillance, prevention, care and orphans and vulnerable children. Collaborators are SADC, NEPAD, universities and governments, NGOs and donors. A monitoring and tracking survey that allows the government to track aspects of their service delivery, evaluate performance, and measure the efficacy of interventions. A number of government departments participated in the first wave of the survey, and will join the repeated survey. Together with several partners, the HSRC has established a system for monitoring food insecurity in Sekhukhuniland, Limpopo, for the Department of Agriculture. The project laid the foundation for a national rollout of a system to detect, assess and provide information to combat food insecurity in households; The HSRC has attained the status of Official Statistics for the national Research and Development Survey. This is the first time that data collected by a party other than Statistics SA has received such designation. The same data is now also recognised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The HSRC forms part of the Birth to Twenty study – the largest and longest running study of child and youth health and development in Africa and one of the few large-scale studies of its kind in the world. More than 3 200 children in Soweto and their families have been followed from before birth up to 15 years of age. The study looks at health risks such as reproductive health and chronic diseases. A lecture series on the notion of identity, by some of the world's greatest intellectuals.
Dr Shisana also announced the restructuring of the HSRC, involving the consolidation of the previous ten research programmes into six, and creating several cross-cutting research programmes. The cross-cutting programmes will deal with, among others, policy issues such as unemployment and quality education; research capacity development; the strengthening of Africa-wide networks; gender issues; and knowledge systems. These programmes will ensure that the HSRC's research work is underpinned by 'the highest levels of research rigour and methodological correctness', Shisana said. Click here to view a copy of Dr Shisana's speech. Click here to view a copy of the Address by the Honourable Minister of Science and Technology, Mr Mosibudi Mangena. |
