University of Fort Hare facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
University of Fort Hare

Motto	In lumine tuo videbimus lumen ("In your light we shall see the light"), from Psalm 36
Type	Public university
Established	1916; 109 years ago (1916)
Chancellor	Dumisa Buhle Ntsebeza
Vice-Chancellor	Sakhela Buhlungu
Students	13,331 (2015)
Location	Main campus: Alice Other: Bhisho East London , Eastern Cape , South Africa 32°47′15″S 26°50′51″E / 32.78750°S 26.84750°E / -32.78750; 26.84750
Colors	Blue      White      Yellow
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name: Human Rights, Liberation and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites
Designated:	2024 (46th session)
Reference #:	1676

The University of Fort Hare (Afrikaans: Universiteit van Fort Hare) is a public university located in Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

For many years, from 1916 to 1959, it was a very important place for black African students to get a good education. It offered a Western-style education to students from all over sub-Saharan Africa. Many of its students became important leaders in their home countries. They helped lead movements for independence and later became part of the governments in newly independent African nations.

Later, in 1959, the university was affected by the apartheid system, which was a system of unfair separation in South Africa. However, today it is a key part of South Africa's public higher education system. Many famous people studied here, including Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Robert Sobukwe, and Oliver Tambo.

A Look Back: University History

Union Hall at the University of Fort Hare

The area where the university stands was once a British fort. This fort was used during wars between British settlers and the Xhosa in the 1800s. You can still see some of the old fort ruins and graves of British soldiers there today.

In the 1830s, the Lovedale Missionary Institute was built nearby. In 1878, James Stewart, a leader at Lovedale, suggested that a special place for black students to get higher education was needed. His idea came true in 1916 when Fort Hare was officially started. Alexander Kerr was its first principal. D. D. T. Jabavu was the first black staff member, teaching Latin and African languages. The university kept its fees low and offered scholarships to students who needed help.

Over the years, Fort Hare changed its name and connections. It was first called the South African Native College or Fort Hare Native College and was linked to the University of South Africa. Later, it became the University College of Fort Hare and worked with Rhodes University.

When apartheid laws were introduced, universities in South Africa were strictly separated by race. Before this, black students had studied alongside Indian, coloured, and some white students. From 1953, the school became part of the "Bantu education" system. In 1959, it was taken over by the government and separated even more by race and tribal groups. Teaching in African languages was encouraged instead of English. By 1970, Fort Hare became a black university on its own, but it was closely controlled by the government.

The university's centenary logo from 2016

From 1916 to 1959, Fort Hare was a very important place for black Africans to get a higher education. It gave students from all over sub-Saharan Africa a Western-style education. Many of its graduates became important leaders in their countries. Some of these leaders included Kenneth Kaunda, Seretse Khama, Yusuf Lule, Julius Nyerere, Robert Mugabe, and Joshua Nkomo.

Archives of the liberation movement

Many famous people who fought against the apartheid system also studied at Fort Hare. These included Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki, and Oliver Tambo from the African National Congress. Also, Mangosuthu Buthelezi from the Inkatha Freedom Party, Robert Sobukwe from the Pan Africanist Congress, and Desmond Tutu studied here. Nelson Mandela studied Latin and physics for almost two years in the 1940s. He later wrote that for young black South Africans, Fort Hare was like the best universities in the world all in one place.

After apartheid ended, Oliver Tambo became the university's chancellor in 1991. In 2005, the University of Fort Hare received a special award called the Order of the Baobab in Gold. This award was for its "Exceptional contribution to Black academic training and leadership development on the African continent."

About the University Today

The Faculty of Law building

The main campus of the university is in Alice, near the Tyhume River. This area is in the Eastern Cape Province, about 50 kilometres west of King William's Town. In 2011, the Alice campus had about 6,400 students. A second campus was built in 1990 in Bhisho, the capital of the Eastern Cape. This campus has a few hundred students. In 2004, the university also gained a campus in East London, which now has about 4,300 students.

The university has five main areas of study, called faculties:

• Education
• Law
• Management & Commerce
• Science & Agriculture
• Social Sciences & Humanities

All these faculties offer different levels of study, right up to doctoral degrees.

University Goals and Plans

After a difficult period in the 1990s, the university worked hard to improve. It launched a plan called the UFH Strategic Plan 2000. This plan aimed to fix the university's money problems and improve its teaching quality. The university decided to focus on its five main faculties.

Sports grounds and swimming pool at the university

The Fort Hare De Beers Art Gallery

The university also created 14 special institutes to work on specific issues. For example, the UNESCO Oliver Tambo Chair of Human Rights focuses on human rights. Because of where they are located, these institutes can help poor rural areas. They focus on research that can improve people's lives and help the economy grow, especially by creating jobs. One of their outreach programmes, the Telkom Centre of Excellence, has a "living laboratory" in four schools at Dwesa on the Wild Coast. These schools now have computer labs and internet access, even though some areas didn't have electricity until 2005.

In 2004, the university took over Rhodes University's former campus in East London. This gave Fort Hare an urban and coastal base for the first time. This campus has grown quickly since then. The university is now following a new plan called "Strategic Plan 2009-2016," which guides its development up to its 100th birthday.

Famous People Who Studied Here

See also

In Spanish: Universidad de Fort Hare para niños

• List of universities in South Africa