Universities South Africa
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A Defining Moment, from Policy to Impact: University Leaders Convene to Drive Entrepreneurial Transformation in Higher Education
In May 2026, the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme will bring together senior university leadership, government stakeholders, and industry partners in Cape Town...
University of the Free State, in Collaboration with Universities South Africa
A recent outcome of this focus area is the South African Universities – Mapping the Sustainable Development Goals report, based on a USAf-commissioned study in 2023....
SAJU 6 is set to foster sustainable research, innovation and impact partnerships from Stellenbosch University in 2024
Universities’ executive leaders, senior and emerging academics and researchers, as well as students interested in global research partnerships will descend on the 6th South Africa-Japan...
Lives should also change education, Mamokgethi Phakeng submits
Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Cape Town, was the second panellist in the session titled Student-Centred Universities at the recent...
Student-centrism is about reorienting the university and emancipating it from itself and its dogmas – Luthando Jack
The Student-centred Universities session of the 2nd Higher Education Conference culminated in a discussion during which Mr Luthando Jack, Dean of Students at Nelson Mandela...
Universities must look themselves in the transformation mirror and commit to fixing the problem — Andre Keet
For many years, the higher education sector has been grappling with engagement and transformation. More so as institutions realised that academic pursuit, as a sole...
Co-construction of knowledge is central to an engaged university
The second speaker, Professor Puleng LenkaBula, who is the Chair of Universities South Africa’s Transformation Strategy Group and Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of...
Scholarship of Engagement practices are so divergent across universities that this necessitates a dedicated focus – Vivienne Lawack
Universities should not view community engagement as separate from teaching and learning and research but see all these as very closely interrelated. So said Dr...
The University of the Western Cape transformed its overly engaged soup kitchen approach to community engagement
Professor Vivienne Lawack became an unexpected presenter at Universities South Africa’s (USAf’s) recent conference on The Engaged University. Lawack (left), Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic...
Decolonisation, engagement and a third university option
On the screen is a photograph of a colonial-style building at Stellenbosch University in the Western Cape. It is now named Krotoa after the 17th...
Curriculum contestation: transformation and decolonisation
The review and decolonisation of the curriculum is taking place across the higher education sector. This session examined a range of exemplars from our universities...
Professional bodies are co-determining with universities, the attributes graduates need to serve society
“Higher education is being called upon to be responsive. But the question is: ‘responsive to what? To the needs of the economy, of employers, of...
SAICA is partnering with USAf to ensure its trainees are equipped for the 21st century
Ms Chantyl Mulder, Executive Director for Nation Building at the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), has never forgotten something Chief Justice Raymond Zondo,...
Students articulating their own learning experiences shed bigger value than relying on lecturers’ perspectives on same
Academics should not take students’ views seriously only at the end of a course when they evaluate modules and teaching. They should also not take...
Engaged universities can produce graduates who stand for peace, social harmony and development while also challenging global orthodoxy
Three distinct takes were offered on Universities and Democracy at the recent higher education conference. The first, from Professor Catherine Odora Hoppers, offered a fresh...
Hands-on sustainable community engagement
Succinctly encapsulating the overall content and tone of the session, Professor Field referred to My Octopus Teacher to indicate the level of hands-on commitment that...
The need for ‘planetary intellectuals’ in the modern university
During the ongoing decolonial debates in South Africa, intellectuals have taken the lead in the dismantling of Eurocentrism and re-membering the African continent. Yet these...
Entrepreneurship performance positions the University of Venda to become an entrepreneurial institution
The LinkedIn page of Mr Promise Nyalungu (left) states: An inspired, energetic, optimistic, hardworking, 20-something-year-old. Born and bred in a dusty village of Limpopo....
The university as an incubator versus the university with an incubator
Higher education institutions need to evolve from merely being places of teaching, learning and research to drivers of innovation and entrepreneurship. With nearly nine million...
Universities could do more to support entrepreneurship development on their campuses
Universities and higher educational facilities no longer need to produce graduates who become job seekers rather, in the current economic climate, they need to generate...
The World of Work: requirements change for workers, students and universities
Deep concerns were raised about the ability and capability of universities to navigate the changes that will require them to be agile in this new...
A case for and against job losses in the new labour market
There are already around 2,7-million robots in operation, globally, with the overwhelming majority found in China. That number has grown by 13% per annum for...
Skilling, reskilling, up-skilling and cross-skilling needed for a changing Labour Market
Skills are the most critical element that needs to be talked about when discussing the South African labour market. So said Colin Thakur, ICT Professor...
Why absurd, crazy, non-consensus ideas create the best entrepreneurial results
“I want to offer a shift in perspective, not looking at the system as a whole and people as a source of labour or skills…...
Question Time: robots, public policy implications and rising studentpreneurship in the United Kingdom
Non-unionised automated robots that never need to go on leave, do not ask to go to the mall and are able to work without stopping...
At a human-centred university, technology meets humanity to enhance the realisation of an engaged university
Humans are living in a coded reality, doing a dance that is the interface between technology and humanity. This was the view of Professor...
Universities towards engagement in a digitised world
The university is both there and not there now. This was the enigmatic opening gambit of Professor Alwyn Louw, Vice Chancellor of Torrens University in...
ICTs firmly rooting teaching and learning online
What is the future role of the traditional Learning Management System (LMS) currently being used as an online tool at South African universities? This question...
Universities need strong and appropriately funded digital strategies to sustain, long term
CoViD-19 has forever reshaped the higher education landscape, accelerating changes that have been taking place over the last decade. For universities to remain competitive and...
Inclusive prosperity is what engaged universities should be prioritising; Private-public funding partnerships should enhance sustainable infrastructure development
An engaged university actively involves staff, students and members of its surrounding community and uses their feedback and expertise to shape the institution’s engagement strategy...
The developmental university is crucial but is not without risks
Universities South Africa’s (USAf’s) conference on The Engaged University was important because of all the people it brought together in South Africa, and beyond its...
Universities must rethink how they do research to imagine a better trajectory for the future
Professor Laura Pereira did not exaggerate when she said she would be a giving a presentation from “a slightly different angle”. Billed as one of the...
Engagement is transformation: the university and community engagement
The mutual inter-dependence of transformation and community engagement was the grounding question for this engagement hosted by the Council on Higher education. Covering a range of...
Challenges of Monitoring and Evaluating Community Engagement at SA Universities
Community engagement is globally recognised for its role in and contribution to transforming civil society, and South African universities are keenly aware of their mandate to...
The benefits of national shared services for universities
Universities need a balance between competition and collaboration when it comes to shared services. The benefits of sharing services outweigh any potential disadvantages. “We have to...
The pros and cons of shared connectivity services; what SA’s higher education should also be considering
For the past two decades the Tertiary Education & Research Network of South Africa (TENET) has provided research and education networking services to enable collaborative inter-networking...
The Decadal Plan charts the way forward
The Department of Science and Innovation would not be abandoning basic science or the social sciences and humanities, Mr Daan Du Toit, Deputy-Director General: International Cooperation...
Microsoft invites universities to partner it in skills training gearing youth for the 4IR
South Africa has an exponential problem. CoViD-19 shone a spotlight on just how unprepared the country was. That problem requires an exponential solution. So said Mr...
Community Engagement in an Engaged University: Nelson Mandela University’s documented 18-year journey
“If we are to monitor and evaluate our community engagement effectively, we have to look at ourselves to see that we are not just paying lip...
On the ground: how universities are practically engaging with their communities
Narratives of community engagement took delegates from Mamelodi in Tshwane to Pietermaritzburg in KZN and Woodstock in the Western Cape. Covering a range of programmes from...
Partnerships based on the Sustainable Development Goals are key to universities tackling global challenges
Dr Hilligje van’t Land, Secretary-General of the International Association of Universities (IAU) based in Paris, was one of the international speakers at Universities South Africa’s (USAf’s)...
Transforming our universities into democratic civic institutions will help all South Africans — Ira Harkavy
The largest higher education conference in South Africa’s history, presented last week by Universities South Africa (USAf) partnering with the Council on Higher Education (CHE), featured...
Partnerships, rural development and internships are key to meeting the challenges of 4IR
The importance of internships and collaboration in the skills preparation space was mirrored by two speakers responding to panel presentations during a breakaway session of Universities...
Learning, teaching, research and administration optimised through shared technology infrastructure at UK universities
Learning, teaching and administration at universities and higher education centres in the United Kingdom (UK) has been revolutionised during the past quarter of a century-- thanks...
Optimum use of resources and anticipatory consciousness can enable universities to manage uncertainty
Institutions of higher learning need to be proactive and not reactive when it comes to financial sustainability. This was the view of Professor Ruksana Osman (right),...
Turning the tide of unemployment through the 4th Industrial Revolution
There is an urgent need to rethink what is to be done to get the unemployment rate – a staggering 64.4% of those aged between 15...
Creating a globally competitive economy through the 4IR
The proposed vision for South Africa in the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) era is a globally competitive, inclusive, and shared economy - matched with technological capability...
The State must assume the cost of higher education
It is the State’s mandate to finance higher education. This was the view of Mr Phumelelani Mshumi, President of the Student Representative Council (SRC) at the...
Universities’ funding demand has outstripped State funding capacity
More South African students than ever require funding in order to attend institutions of higher learning. However, tough economic conditions combined with effects of CoViD-19 indicate...
The South African Centre for Digital Language Resources has resources and expertise
At the recent Colloquium on the revised Language Policy Framework for Higher Education, Professor Langa Khumalo, Executive Director of the South African Centre for Digital Language...
How the DHET intends harnessing funding to implement the revised language policy framework
Dr Thandi Lewin, Deputy Director-General: University Education in the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), said she knew people had asked a lot of questions...
The revised language policy framework needs a major cash injection to be implemented properly
It is not unimaginable that South African universities will need to spend between one to 5% of their budgets to implement the government’s new language policy...
South Africa’s universities must shed their dominant modern/colonial imaginary character to transform and become more responsive
South Africa’s universities must shed their dominant character and orientation that is trapped in a modern/colonial imaginary, to truly transform and become more responsive to their...
Universities need to re-think their use of resources and modes of engagement for an inclusive economy
South Africa is standing at a crossroads, facing an unprecedented set of challenges where ‘business as usual’ will not work; where universities must find new ways...
The Great Disruption; The Engaged University and Implications for the HE Sector
Professor Ahmed Bawa, Chief Executive Officer of Universities South Africa (USAf), opened the 2nd Higher Education Conference by telling delegates that there had been much agonising...
Afrikaans is one of the treasures of South African cultural expression; it does not need to be upgraded — Albie Sachs
Albie Sachs, political activist and retired judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, began his talk at the online Colloquium on the New Language Policy...
The value of multilingualism goes beyond mere convenience of communication
“Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things but learning another way to think about things”. Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, Vice-Chancellor of...
Universities must make learning African Languages a condition for completing a degree
We have normalised the abnormal. How can a person be enrolled in an African university and graduate and exit without being able to speak an African...
How language can ‘humanise’ science
Language is a key instrument in humanising science. Doctor Elias Malete (right), Senior Lecturer and Academic Head of the African Languages department within the Humanities Faculty...
“We must hold ourselves to the highest standard of the transformation agenda” – Linda Meyer
Dr Linda Meyer (left), Director: Operations and Sector Support at Universities South Africa (USAf), chaired the session titled The Nexus Between Language and Transformation, which formed...
Stellenbosch University wants Afrikaans recognised as an indigenous language in the policy promoting multilingualism
One of the main challenges of the South African government’s new language policy framework for public higher education institutions is that it excludes Afrikaans as an...
The use of isiZulu at university level is a linguistic revolution
The use of isiZulu as an African language of teaching and learning at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) can be seen as a linguistic revolution. However,...
The transformation of NWU’s language policy and its far-reaching impact
Professor Robert Balfour, Deputy Vice Chancellor: Teaching and Learning) at North-West University (NWU), was joined by his colleague Dr Keaobaka Seshoka, Language Director for the university’s...
The new language policy provides a host of opportunities for reimagining universities in Africa
Universities must be globally competitive but we must never ignore our local context. That was the message Professor Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the...
Translanguaging could revolutionise the use of African languages in higher education
The revised Language Police Framework opens ideological and implementation spaces for the simultaneous development and use of African languages in higher education and offers a panacea...
As universities, we must commit differently to the language imperative, lest history judge us harshly – Dion Nkomo
The revised Language Policy Framework for Higher Education Institutions comes into effect in 2022. If public universities are to strategically position themselves to exploit multilingualism as...
Practical lessons shared from the University of the Free State’s experimentation with multilingual pedagogies
Multilingual pedagogies are achievable when academics are willing to put them to effective use, and when institutional leadership invests the necessary resources to develop and intellectualise...
Multilingual learning and teaching practices at the University of Cape Town
Multilingual pedagogies received dedicated attention again on Day Two of Universities South Africa’s Colloquium on the New Language Policy for Higher Education last week when the...
Should Afrikaans be declared South Africa’s indigenous language?
Professor Mbulungeni Madiba, Dean of Education at Stellenbosch University, chaired the question-and-answer session which wrapped the fourth plenary session – The New Language Policy for Higher...
What would have happened if European intellectual giants had not been instructed in their mother tongue?
If intellectual giants in history – legendary names such as Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Karl Marx and many others – had been instructed in...
Institutions need active leadership on language policies
Institutions need to actively play leadership roles and ensure that the country’s language journey doesn't take another 19 years for it to be successfully implemented. This...
Linguistic diversity must be embraced for all to reach their full potential
All higher learning institutions must develop strategies, policies and implementation plans for promoting multilingualism. South Africa’s revised Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions commits...
Multilingualism and equity are the essence of the New Language Policy Framework
The Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions is premised on two fundamental strategies: South Africa’s Constitution of 1996 and the Education White Paper 3:...
Vice-Chancellors of public universities to confer on the New Language Policy for Higher Education from 28 to 29 September
At an important point in the history of South Africa’s Higher Education System, vice-chancellors of public universities will gather with experts and other stakeholders to contemplate...
Studentpreneurs should stop focusing on writing plans and concentrate on making businesses happen
Student entrepreneurs tend to be obsessed with writing business plans, how to access money, register their company, set up a bank account, and with buzzwords such...
A studentpreneur offers advice to other students thinking of starting a business
Chad Lucas (right), a third-year BCom student at Sol Plaatje University (SPU) in Kimberley, and Deputy-Chair of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE)Studentpreneurs Community of Practice,...
Everything about online business… shared first-hand at SPU’s #SEW2021
Money is not the most important need when starting a business: a good idea and persistence are. This was just one of the snippets of wisdom...
The FASSET & USAf partnership promises great potential for the African child
Ms Ayanda Mafuleka, CEO of the Finance and Accounting Services SETA (FASSET) has been at the helm of the organisation since early 2019. Mafuleka is a...
An entrepreneurial attitude is a crucial life skill
Being entrepreneurial is about more than just running a successful business; it is also about having the right mind set and attitude, qualities that equip you...
A Sol Plaatje University student’s entrepreneurial journey to success
Sol Plaatje University, in Kimberley, must be chest-puffingly proud of Chad Lucas, a final year BCom student who has been selected as the Deputy Chairperson of...
Proud eight-year-old Sol Plaatje University hosts #SEW2021
The Northern Cape might be South Arica’s largest province, but it has the sad distinction of also having the lowest level of education among South African...
Skilling the nation stands to succeed when personal and organisational philosophies converge
She is driven by the desire to ensure that today’s younger generation and those to follow have a better life and believes that quality education holds...
Universities South Africa expresses dismay at the brutal killing of Ms Nosicelo Mtebeni
The Chairperson of Universities South Africa (USAf), Professor Sibongile Muthwa, has this morning expressed her shock and dismay at the ruthless and senseless killing of Ms...
During Women’s Month 2021, USAf’s TMF and HERS-SA examine burning gender issues within Higher Education
August 2021 marks the beginning of a second round of a collaboration commemorating Women's Month, between Universities South Africa’s Transformation Managers' Forum (TMF) and Higher Education...
Government moves to balance theoretical learning with vocational, occupational and technical learning in basic education
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has ignited a conversation among universities providing teacher education to inspire a rethink of initial teacher education and training, with...
Registration is now open for delegates wishing to attend USAf’s 2nd Higher Education Conference virtually – Source: Universities South Africa (USAf)
The 2nd Universities South Africa (USAf) Higher Education Conference, conducted in collaboration with the Council on Higher Education (CHE), will take place from 6 to 8...
Vice-Chancellors unite in addressing the threats to South Africa’s democracy
The Board of Universities South Africa has expressed deep concern over the civil unrest that broke out in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal recently. Reducing what played out...
The EDHE Programme is poised to succeed in creating entrepreneurial universities in South Africa
A study undertaken to evaluate the partnership between Universities South Africa’s Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Programme and the British Council (South Africa) has found...
Understanding the experience of academic leaders and staff: the SEP-TLF survey
The Council on Higher Education (CHE), Universities South Africa (USAf) and the University of the Free State (UFS) are currently administering the Staff Experience of, and...
ETDP SETA’s debt intervention helps retain a student in a UFS study programme
A firm resolve to obtain university education motivated an Umlazi Township resident to push for the funding he needed to get a bachelor’s degree. Twenty-two-year-old Mr...
Insights from the R&I Dialogue 2021 to inform the RISG’s future action plan
Universities South Africa’s Research and Innovation Strategy Group (RISG) will use its next meeting in 2021 to critically reflect on what transpired at the recent...
Even diehard social scientists have embraced purely quantitative methodologies in pandemic times
The CoVID-19 pandemic has brought out the need to be agile, even if it goes against long-held principles, says Sarah Mosoetsa, Associate Professor of Sociology...
50 students receive Standard Bank sponsored laptops at MUT
Thursday, 17th of June, 2021, was a day of jubilation at the Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT). Twenty-nine of the 50 students benefitting from the Standard...
Universities urged to not overlook undergraduate students in promoting entrepreneurship
At a recent Executive Leadership Workshop (ELW), Dr Norah Clarke, Director: Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) prompted deputy vice-chancellors and executive management to find the gold in...
Research; How to ensure it is ethical and why society has a right to know about its outcomes
Most universities have a whistleblowing policy but when we see what we consider to be unethical behavior, is it a duty or an obligation to...
South Africa’s researchers shine a spotlight on ethical scholarship
The ethics of CoVID-19 vaccine trials and impending state penalties for unethical publishing were key topics in the session on Ethical Research and Integrity at...
Update to DVCs on EDHE’s new initiatives
Two months ago, Stellenbosch University posted on LinkedIn that its Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies, Professor Eugene Cloete, had been selected as the...
A more accessible world; lessons to learn from the pandemic
The current pandemic has had some positive effects that will outlive CoVID-19 and be built on for future generations in the learning and teaching environment....
Budget cuts hold back transformation and hurt innovation
The key takeaway from the last global financial crisis was that countries with weak innovation systems suffered more from the downturn in economic activity, after...
Underfunding is a threat to Postgraduate studies
The CoVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the already challenging higher education funding landscape in South Africa, so say Professor Fulufhelo Nelwamondo (below left), National Research Foundation’s...
CoVID-19 has shown that collaboration and partnerships are critical for the system
CoVID-19 has unmasked the pressing need for more collaboration among universities and an end to debilitating austerity measures that cripple student postgraduate funding. This was among...
Notwithstanding major disruptions, CoVID-19 has in its own way benefitted science and humanity
Even though CoVID-19 has upended life as we knew it before 2020, the pandemic yielded significant benefits to science and humanity; it also brought to the...
Mining patent data can help entrepreneurial universities
Mr Dawid Prozesky (right), Senior Associate and Patent Attorney at KISCH IP, the law firm which assists a lot of South African universities with their intellectual...
It is the memories that help rate good and bad leaders
Professor Eugene Cloete, Vice-Rector: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies at Stellenbosch University chose an interactive approach when addressing a group of senior university leaders on the...
Staving off the apocalypse; finding answers to questions that have social value
If anyone has thought facing one problem was more than enough, they haven’t chanced upon Erwin Schwella. The Dean in the School of Social Innovation at...
How universities can play a role in solving South Africa’s almost unsolvable challenges
Take a drive to the airport in Cape Town, and along the way you can see the challenges South Africa faces. These are our wicked problems,...
Universities will become extinct if they don’t change their roles
Professor Deresh Ramjugernath, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching at Stellenbosch University, warned higher education leaders at Universities South Africa’s third Executive Leadership Workshop (ELW) in...
Universities can benefit it they join forces and unlock students’ sense of entitlement
Could the Western Cape be the setting for South Africa's first regional powerhouse of a Science and Technology Innovation Park? This was one of the ideas...
Why entrepreneurship development in higher education is inevitable
Entrepreneurship is as essential to reducing crippling poverty and unemployment as it is to boosting the economy. These were the opening remarks of Dr Engela van...
Universities need to align and partner with existing incubators
One of the country’s prominent innovation specialists urged local universities to form partnerships with existing incubators rather than incurring the costs involved with setting up their...
DVCs have the decision-making power to turn South Africa around through entrepreneurship
Deputy Vice-Chancellors at South Africa’s universities were last Thursday challenged to change their mind-set if they wanted their institutions to become more entrepreneurial spaces. Peddling the...
EDHE’s Executive Leadership Workshop gets DVCs engaging towards a national university entrepreneurship policy.
Nearly all 26 of South Africa's universities are represented at the third round of the annual Executive Leadership Workshop (ELW) which, this year, is being hosted...
African language experts set up committees to explore sharing resources and mentoring new academics
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed several systemic forms of inequality in the higher education system. It is essential that Universities South Africa (USAf), the representative body of...
Exhilaration as USAf’s fundraising for the higher education sector surpasses half of the R1 billion target
In the second quarter of 2020, Universities South Africa (USAf) undertook to raise R1 billion in 24 months as a contribution to remedying the perennial financial...
Nanjing Tech University in China is inviting applications from South African students
One of China's top universities, namely Nanjing Tech University (Njtech), is inviting South African students seeking to pursue either undergraduate or postgraduate studies to consider enrolling...
The Board welcomes new members while paying tribute to retired peers
The complexities confronting higher education leaders are very far removed from, and can easily divert attention from universities’ core functions of teaching and learning. Professor Wim...
The USAf Board commits to finding sustainable funding solutions for the sector, within 2021
The 27-strong Board of Directors of Universities South Africa has ruled out the possibility of granting amnesty to student debt accumulated from unpaid tuition and residence...
Focus on your strengths to bring about change in your environment
Looking at where we are globally, the uncertainties we are constantly facing including disruptions caused by the corona pandemic, tapping into our strengths could be the...
STATEMENT BY COUNCIL OF RHODES UNIVERSITY ON FISCAL CONSTRAINTS, FINANCIAL CRISES AND FUNDING CHALLENGES
The Council of Rhodes University has expressed grave concern over persistent funding challenges confronting the post-school education and training (PSET) sector, in general, and Rhodes University,...
Temporary WIL guidelines for universities in the context of CoVID-19
A year after CoVID-19 landed on our shores, its effects still linger, and to no less a measure in the higher education sector. Executing Work Integrated...
Student Women to receive dedicated focus in EDHE Phase Two
Levelling the playing field for student women, and graduates, will be a priority for the next three years in Phase Two of the Entrepreneurship Development in...
The 2021 EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity competition launches today
Today, the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) launches the third edition of the annual EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity. The launch of the competition is integrated into...
Phase Two of EDHE kicks off on a high from 24 March
Phase Two of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme starts with a jam-packed three-day kick-off event that will be streamed live on EDHE's Facebook...
Awardees of the HSRC-USAf Medal in Social Sciences and Humanities Announced
At a virtual event last night, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and Universities South Africa (USAf) announced the awardees in the 2020 HSRC-USAf Medal in...
The HSRC and USAf jointly celebrate South Africa’s outstanding academics and researchers in Social Sciences and Humanities
After a rigorous adjudication process, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and Universities South Africa (USAf) will later today announce the awardees in the 2020 HSRC-USAf...
The crisis in student funding in 2021: Higher education must be recognised as a site of investment rather than one of expenditure
At the beginning of another academic year the unaffordability of higher education for many students and their families has once again convulsed South Africa’s 26 public...
Countdown to the HSRC-USAf Medal for Social Sciences and Humanities
On the eve of the HSRC-USAf Social Sciences and Humanities research awards event, we bring you the last batch of four teams contending for the Team...
Countdown to the HSRC-USAf Medal for Social Sciences and Humanities
At two days away from the HSRC-USAf awards D-Day, we feature the first four of eight teams contending for the Team Awards at this esteemed event....
Invitation to the EDHE KICK-OFF event 2021 #againstallodd
Greetings, Champions for Entrepreneurship at Universities! As you are starting a new academic year at SA universities, the EDHE team takes pleasure in inviting you to...
SASSETA grants USAf R10m to clear away tuition fees debt of senior students
The Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority (SASSETA) has made a grant of R10 million to Universities South Africa (USAf) as a contribution to...
Countdown to the HSRC-USAf Medal for Social Sciences and Humanities
Day 6 - As the countdown begins towards the HSRC-USAf Medal for Social Scientists and Humanities ceremony, we invite you to meet the researchers and academics...
Countdown to the HSRC-USAf Medal for Social Sciences and Humanities
Day 5 - As the countdown begins towards the HSRC-USAf Medal for Social Scientists and Humanities ceremony, we invite you to meet the researchers and academics...
Countdown to the HSRC-USAf Medal for Social Sciences and Humanities
Day 4 - As the countdown begins towards the HSRC-USAf Medal for Social Scientists and Humanities ceremony, we invite you to meet the researchers and academics...
Countdown to the HSRC-USAf Medal for Social Sciences and Humanities
Day 3 - As the countdown begins towards the HSRC-USAf Medal for Social Scientists and Humanities ceremony, we invite you to meet the researchers and academics...
Countdown to the HSRC-USAf Medal for Social Sciences and Humanities
As the countdown begins towards the HSRC-USAf Medal for Social Scientists and Humanities ceremony, we invite you to meet the researchers and academics nominated for recognition...
2020/21 Medal for Social Sciences and Humanities
As the countdown begins towards the HSRC-USAf Medal for Social Scientists and Humanities ceremony, we invite you to meet the researchers and academics nominated for recognition...
Debt relief as 9500 students receive the USAf-raised ETDP SETA grant
In an environment where thousands of students continuously battle with university tuition fees, a minimum of 9500 students were spared this annual pain when their tuition...
Public universities are ready to receive the NSC Class of 2020 into higher education, and to see them succeed
As public universities gear themselves to receive the National School Certificate Class of 2020 on their various campuses, Universities South Africa has assured the new entrants...
USAf’s Teaching and Learning Strategy Group kicks off 2021 with a comprehensive agenda
The 2021 inaugural meeting of the Teaching and Learning Strategy Group (TLSG) kicked off with the Chairperson of the Group and Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Rhodes...
Up to R336 million raised by USAf in 2020, in support of students and lecturers
At the first meeting for 2021, of the Teaching and Learning Strategy Group, Dr Linda Meyer, Director: Operations and Sector Support at USAf, updated the TLSG...
Human Sciences Research Council – HSRC Medal for the Social Sciences and Humanities to celebrate contributions to South Africa’s fight against COVID-19
Pretoria, Tuesday 2 February 2021 – The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in partnership with Universities South Africa (USAf) invites nominations for the HSRC Medal for...
Not bouncing back but bouncing forward: South African higher education in 2021 and beyond
At the end of a year that has demoralised and literally devastated higher education globally, it was a buoyant Minister Blade Nzimande that opened the Higher...
ABSA-donated laptops relieve Unizulu students from learning in difficult conditions
Imagine living in an area where, to access email, you had to walk to an only spot outside your village that is known to receive a...
The fear of being stifled in a corporate world drove her to seek options in entrepreneurship
With two successful social enterprises under her belt and currently occupying a chief executive position in a thriving company, Ms Matsi Modise says looking back 11...
Standard Bank-sponsored laptops help to restore students’ normality at SMU
Sheer gratitude is the sentiment shared by four students drawn from the 83 recipients of laptops at the Sefako Makgatho University of Health Sciences (SMU), that...
Next-phase EDHE funding from 2021 to 2023 is an investment in youth
The Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme will receive R30 million funding for the second three-year cycle from 2021 to 2023, Dr Diane Parker Deputy...
UNIVEN is the Winning University in the EDHE Intervarsity 2020
By virtue of being the hosting institution to the EDHE Studentpreneur of the Year 2020, the University of Venda (UNIVEN) was pronounced the Winning University in...
Studentpreneur of the Year 2020 dedicates his Award to Ga Mokgokong, his home village
A University of Venda (UNIVEN) Honours student in International Relations made history last Friday, when he won, not just the prize for Category 3 representing Existing...
CoVID-19 ignited students’ creativity in entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship coordinators at South Africa's public universities have forged ahead, notwithstanding CoVID-19 and lockdown, and continued to guide and inspire students. Ms Karen Snyman, Student Life...
False Bay College supports SMMEs: the engine and back bone of SA’s economy
In 2019, False Bay vocational education and training (TVET) College won the Productivity South Africa award in the Western Cape for the public sector, and went...
MUT’s final-year HR Management students rise to the entrepreneurship challenge
It is all very well to tell matriculants to apply for further studies and funding, online, but if they live in a rural area with minimal...
A UWC panel believes South Africa needs more women techpreneurs
Women needed to be encouraged to consider a future career in tech and entrepreneurship. This view was expressed by three women in a panel discussion on...
UJ presents loads of ideas for studentpreneurs – from starting a tech business to protecting your brand
There's something about a shower that generates ideas. "The shower is notorious for dropping ideas in your brain, everybody knows that," said Professor Abejide Ade-Ibijola of...
UFH: The value of a business plan extends far beyond raising funds for an enterprise
Very few people are willing to draw up their own business plans. Usually, it is something entrepreneurs do only when they want to access finance from...
WSU is encouraging its students to live up to its namesake’s ideals of making a difference
WSU is encouraging its students to live up to its namesake's ideals of making a differenceProfessor Rob Midgley, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Walter Sisulu University (WSU)...
Through its i-GYM facility, the Central University of Technology has created an entrepreneurial buzz on campus
On Friday 13 November Gareth Gericke, a Master's student in Electronic Engineering at the Central University of Technology (CUT), competed in the finals of the BOOST...
VUT advises: tapping into your inner creativity in contemplating a business
Are you beautiful? Have you won a beauty competition? Look to yourself and ask yourself what your talents are, when generating ideas for a business. So...
From electric bikes to online tutoring – Rhodes University studentpreneurs are hard at work
Mr Siphesihle Phenyane, who is in the final year of Economics and Management undergraduate studies at Rhodes University (RU), knows all about battling to get around...
Nelson Mandela University proudly shares the entrepreneurial journey of its globally famous alumnus
At the recent national Student Entrepreneurship Week (#SEW2020), Nelson Mandela University began its presentation with a quote from the legend after whom it is named, the...
A call for nominations for the EDHE DVC Award for 2020
With the EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity finals fast approaching, in Gauteng, on 26-27 November, the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme invites the entrepreneurship community within...
What to look out for as a tech-based entrepreneur
At last week's Student Entrepreneurship Week, Mr Brandon Paschal, Vice President of Innovation at Stellenbosch University's LaunchLab, shared rich insights drawn from years of running a...
The Durban University of Technology has every reason to be proud of the studentpreneurs it has produced
The Durban University of Technology (DUT) used its 30 minutes at last week's Student Entrepreneurship Week (#SEW2020) to brag about its achievements as it showcased successful...
Disrupt, dare to be different and emerge from chaos, intact – UCT’s VC
Antifragility, the ability to emerge from a storm of chaos, crisis and challenge transformed and improved, should be every student entrepreneur's mantra. This was the central...
Africa needs to speed up its innovation pace, says SPU’s Dr Malvin Nkomo
While Africans learn how to drive manual cars, innovators in the technology and start-up haven, Silicon Valley, are inventing driverless cars. In a virtual presentation during...
UNISA brings crucial advice to studentpreneurs on raising venture capital funding
Make Nigeria your primary target market if you want to make it big and ensure that your tech start-up has the potential for sustainable growth. This...
The University of Mpumalanga is about to kick-off its entrepreneurship strategy, in style
It is significant that the University of Mpumalanga (UMP)'s new Entrepreneurship Centre is in a building outside the institution itself. This is because its activities are...
University of KwaZulu-Natal’s InQubate showcases its success stories in entrepreneurship
At the three-day national Student Entrepreneurship Week (#SEW2020) that was hosted by Universities South Africa's Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme last week, the audience...
CoVID-19 proves to have been a game changer in 2020 public events
When CoVID-19 froze contact meetings and sent organisations scrambling to find alternative modes of engagement, Universities South Africa and its programmes were not spared. However, what...
Universities SA expresses confidence in the NSC Class of 2020 and wishes them well in the final examination
As South Africa’s Class of 2020 enters the third day of their final National School Certificate (NSC) examinations, Universities South Africa (USAf) wishes to express its...
University of Limpopo graduates are enjoying the rewards of running their own businesses
Call it hands-on, practical or how to put your studies into practice, but the University of Limpopo (UL) refers to the type of entrepreneurship they are...
Strategic entrepreneurship insights from the University of the Free State
Mr Gerard Verhoef, Director: Contracts and Innovation at University of the Free State was very open about his University's entrepreneurship strategy at the #SEW2020, this week....
Engaging a CoP for Studentpreneurs at one’s university can propel one’s business
Ms Refilwe Mogale knows all about being an entrepreneur while straddling one's studies; that is, being a studentpreneur. She is a student at the University of...
The UFS is set on a path to become an entrepreneurial university
During one of the #SEW2020 sessions dedicated to the University of the Free State (UFS) on Monday, Mr Sakhumzi Dukwe, a Master of Commerce in Entrepreneurship...
Transformation and visual redress at universities requires much more than simple discussions
The year 2015, particularly 9 April of that year, will forever symbolise a change in the South African higher education sector. It was on this day...
Entrepreneurship for the common good: helping communities while creating jobs and earning a living
Be unreasonable. Disrupt. Be dogged. Don't give up. Find local solutions for problems experienced in your community. But most of all, take responsibility and make things...
Student Entrepreneurship Week 2020 promises an exciting multi-institutional programme
Student Entrepreneurship Week 2020 (#SEW2020) kicked off with resounding approval from three leading figures in Higher Education who all agreed that entrepreneurship and the creation of...
The national Student Entrepreneurship Week is the best empowerment platform for students aspiring to become entrepreneurs
Students enrolled in higher education institutions need to appreciate more than ever before, that employment, after graduating from university, is not a given. CoVID-19 has dampened...
The USAf Board takes a stand on corruption
At the final ordinary sitting on 20 October, the Board of Directors of Universities South Africa (USAf) acknowledged that corruption had reached endemic levels in the...
A fearless strategist will be missed in South Africa’s higher education sector
The outgoing Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Witwatersrand, Professor Adam Habib, was this week described as a fearless strategist who will be sorely...
Public universities to jointly curb COVID-19-risky student behaviour on campuses
The Board of Directors of Universities South Africa (USAf) has noted with grave concern, reports of reckless student behaviour on campuses since South Africa relaxed the...
A personal problem led to a NWU professor developing an award-winning COVID-19 screening app
Professor Leenta Grobler (left) says she has always questioned everything and looked for problems to solve, a trait that led her to engineering, a field in...
Transformation of institutional cultures, and curricula, is feasible when done in consultation with students; UKZN demonstrates
From a scholarly project commenced in 2017, four academics had come together to share insights emerging from on-going research projects investigating what to change, how...
Whether in Norway or South Africa, teaching entrepreneurship follows similar routes and enjoys similar successes
A South African and a Norwegian perspective on teaching through entrepreneurship formed part of the discussion on The University as Catalyst for Entrepreneurial Change at the...
The love of brewing beer set the scene for an unexpected business success
Two scholars at the University of the Free State (UFS) took their scientific know-how and, together, with support from the university, created a successful business. Read...
Wits is breaking barriers with a plan for a dual degree to develop innovation
Professor Nithaya Chetty was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of the Witwatersrand in December 2019 and immediately started tackling the problem...
A new business school course which puts entrepreneurship on the main menu
Ms Yogavelli "Yogi" Nambiar, CEO of the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, struck a cord when she asked at the recent Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE)...
Business school stalwarts talk about the changing role of these institutions
Who do business schools serve? Are they only about big business? Or only about MBAs? Are they relevant? Can they develop entrepreneurial mindsets? These were some...
Business schools and big business making big money – a myth or reality?
There is a perception in South Africa, and internationally, that business schools are making obscene amounts of money because they exist only to serve big corporates...
Universities should lead the battle against poverty through entrepreneurship
Professor Michael Morris, leader in the field of Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana in the United States, gave a...
COVID-19 has necessitated injection of more resources into the entrepreneurship ecosystem
Ms Jaana Puukka, an international expert in higher education and innovation based in Nice in France, was one of many international presenters at the recent 4th...
How UWC fosters digital skills, entrepreneurship and innovation in its local communities
Digital inclusion (that is, open access to technology) is of critical importance to young South Africans, if they are to participate meaningfully in the digital economy....
Artificial intelligence is at the heart of national advancement
Dr Sumarie Roodt, Chairperson at the Silicon Cape Initiative and a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Information Systems in the Commerce Faculty at the University...
Why technology is not enough for the digital economy; Lessons for Generation Z
For technological changes to transform the economy, cultural barriers need to be overcome, and 'the rules of the game' (institutions) have to change. So said Ms...
We need to exercise vigilance when operating on digital platforms
An information technology expert has urged internet users to exercise absolute vigilance in their usage of digital platforms in the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) era. Professor...
It took one pivot after another to build a sustainable technology business in Tanzania
Mr. Baraka Mtunga, Managing Partner, Quest Africa, resigned from the corporate world in the United States of America and later at a telecommunications company in his...
Standard Bank has donated R3 million to high risk universities
The Standard Bank Group has donated R3 million to six public universities regarded by the Department of Higher Education and Training as being more vulnerable than...
How studentpreneurs can find opportunity in Africa’s vast array of problems
Ms Ellen Fischat has gone from being born into humble surroundings in the Eastern Cape to working with global captains of industry and representing African women...
Two experts talk about family businesses
Family businesses have been found to outperform others in times of crisis such as during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The Harvard Business Review said the 21st...
If SA rates entrepreneurship a top career choice, then we have the potential to do better
Universities do not necessarily need separate courses on enterprise and entrepreneurship. Instead, entrepreneurship should be a lens through which we look at all education and the...
South Africa, and Africa could soar high by transitioning to the green economy
The frustrations and disappointments that she encountered in her early career days prompted her to start her own enterprise. Ms Vere Shaba, founder and CEO of...
How universities need to respond to the effects of climate change
Climate change has effectively changed our relationship with the planet and how we live on it. This was the shared view of three respected academics sharing...
How graduates exploit technology to transition from university to the workplace
At the EDHE Lekgotla 2020, during a session titled University Entrepreneurship in Africa, a guest speaker from the University of Nigeria shared important insights on Transition...
The USAf Board ponders the next five-year strategic framework
Scenarios thinking took centre stage at Universities South Africa’s Annual Workshop of the Board of Directors on 19 June, as the Board began to contemplate USAf’s...
The Board confirms appointment of two new members
At the Annual General Meeting of USAf, the Chairperson, Professor Thandwa Mthembu, confirmed the appointment to the Board of Directors, of, namely, Dr Bernard Nthambeleni, newly-appointed...
NRF Policy for Postgraduate Student Funding: Enhancing Equity of Postgraduate Student Access, Success and Throughput
The National Research Foundation (NRF) has developed a new Postgraduate Student Funding Policy that will use postgraduate student funding as a lever to address the challenges...
DHET introduces a Future Professors Programme to accelerate movement of senior researchers to professorships
On 20 June, 2019, Professor Jonathan Jansen, Distinguished Professor of Education at Stellenbosch University and President of the Academy of Science of South Africa, attended the...
The Board formerly approves USAf’s Financial Report
Following the presentation of: USAf’s detailed Business Continuity Plan; Revised Risks Register; and USAf’s Financial Report for the period ending 31 May 2019, The Board commended...
The Board mandates the USAf Office to take action on accreditation delays
The Board mandated the USAf Office to write a letter to three state agencies responsible for approval, accreditation and registration of new or revised academic programmes,...
Potential cable vandalism a perpetual threat to UL’s internet connectivity
The increase in internet speed at the University of Limpopo (UL) from 30 megabits per second (Mbps) to 150 Mbps brought about major improvements in internet...
Rural Campuses Connection Project increases teaching, learning and research potential at remote university campuses
In October 2010, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) gave Universities SA’s predecessor, Higher Education South Africa (HESA) a grant of R28 million in...
4th SAJU Forum Conference 2019 — Full report
The South Africa-Japan University (SAJU) Forum was established to serve as a platform and structured frameworkfor collaboration between the higher education institutions of the two countries....
Romanian universities knock on USAf’s door for collaboration with SA universities
On Monday, 15 April, Universities SA (USAf) hosted a five-person delegation from Romania to hold introductory talks exploring renewing relations between universities in Romania and those...
USAf Board welcomes feedback on NSFAS progress at their March sitting
At their first sitting for 2019 in March, the Universities South Africa (USAf) Board of Directors invited Dr Randall Carolissen, Executive Administrator at National Student Financial...
COPAL’s meeting at Fort Hare’s East London campus completes successfully — 13 March 2019
The Community of Practice for African Languages (COPAL) held its first meeting of the year at the University of Fort Hare campus in East London. The...
A R3,4 million grant allocated to bolster doctoral training for SA universities
Through a partnership with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), the British Council has announced R3,4m funding to 20 higher education partnerships focused on...
Prof Ahmed Bawa on The View Point with (SAFM)’s Ashraf Garda, 7 March, 2019
On Thursday, 7 March, 2019, Ashraf Garda of SAFM’s The View Point (20:00-22:00) hosted Professor Ahmed Bawa, USAf’s CEO. The hour-long discussion, which included listeners’ comments...
Prof Ahmed Bawa on Democracy Gauge (SABC 3), 05 March 2019
On Wednesday, 5 March, 2019, Bongani Bingwa, the host of a SABC 3’s new programme, Democracy Gauge (week days 17:30-18:30), invited Prof Ahmed Bawa, USAf’s CEO,...
Introduction
This page represents Universities SA’s attempt to share documents of sector-wide relevance, generated by like-minded and organisations in the sector and beyond. The titles, which acknowledge...