Veterinary education in South Africa at a crossroad

Abstract

There recently has been legitimate criticism, by especially the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, that the research output of the Onderstepoort Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Pretoria is inadequate and that there is overtraining of aspiring veterinarians. The inverse relationship between these deficiencies is obvious. A quantum curricular leap is essential if any serious attempt is to be made to address them. This leap firstly should entail much more teaching of basic principles, as contained in basic sciences such as genetics and evolution, ecology and epidemiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and physiology and their mother subjects of physics, chemistry and zoology, and encouraging the many gifted students, of which the Faculty has an oversupply, to work out the details of the applied veterinary subjects for themselves. This would not only facilitate the development of a research culture in the students but also make much more research time available for the teaching staff. Although greatest exposure of undergraduates to research invariably occurs whilst they are studying basic sciences, involvement in active research should be mandatory. Active research results in exposure to role-models and wetting of research appetites, both powerful incentives for selecting a research career and establishing a research culture. Three examples illustrate the crucial practical importance of knowledge of basic subjects such as genetics and evolution for veterinary and other medically orientated sciences and show why a research ethos is so important to modern veterinary science.

Key words:

• basic sciences
• genetics and evolution
• teaching basic principles
• veterinary education and research