Leadership and Ethics in Higher Education 151publishes a moral outlook that everybody trusts, that is consistently
applied, if not deviations can be explained and that becomes the
reference point for the common life of the institution.
All this has to do with Ubuntu. It both sets out an abiding ethical
principle, but that it also recognizes the limitations of that principle. For
example, in pursuit of the common good and harmonious relations at all
times when and how does the enforcement process available to the
university get resorted to? By the way, the love-principle that is inherent
in Ubuntu does not mean that punishment and retribution have no role in
appropriate circumstances especially in order to bring matters into
equilibrium.
In the South African setting, one has to be mindful of two things.
One, that universities cannot be seen in isolation; and two, that the idea
of a university is contested. The university is affected by societal
tensions, disputes and political cultures. This is more so in the current
environment where clearly the university is powerless to effect the
changes that are demanded short of making room for wholesale
revolution! The idea of a university is an ongoing debate for which
different generations of students and academics will approach
differently. What must remain constant though is the moral fibre of the
institution, and its ethical legitimacy must be acknowledged. Of course,
much of this has to do with a variety of matters: fairness in employment
policies, fairness and equality in remuneration practices, integrity in
academic systems and transparency in decision-making including
financial dealings of the university. While all that may be critical,
ultimately, though, the institutions should cultivate an environment of
open discussion and debate about all issues. Recent studies at
international level throw light on developments and renewed thinking on
the ethics of public life. It is to that that we now turn.