Stellenbosch University
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Universities critical in “reimagining the future Africa"
Author: Daniel Bugan
Published: 21/06/2021

Stellenbosch University (SU) recently hosted the inaugural African Student Leaders Network (ASLN) summit to promote good governance and ethics among student leaders.

The two-day online summit connected academics, staff and students from SU with counterparts from other African universities to discuss leadership issues on the continent, including the leadership response to COVID-19, and to encourage collaboration among student leaders to find homegrown African solutions to their challenges. The overall aim of the summit was to align the work of the ASLN with the African Union's Agenda 2063.

In his introductory remarks, Prof Deresh Ramjugernath, SU's Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Learning and Teaching, said that “universities, especially our student leaders, have a critical role to play in taking responsibility for reimagining the future Africa", particularly in light of the drastic changes brought about by COVID-19 in higher education.

Universities and student leaders' response to the pandemic was one of the major talking points on the agenda. Opening proceedings on the first day, Prof Folasade Ogunsola, professor of Medical Microbiology and chair of the Infection Control Africa Network at the University of Lagos, highlighted the lessons learned from COVID-19 in the African higher education sector and the global community. “Because of social distancing, we became nimbler in the online space," she said. “Nobody was tied to a location, and universities had a wider reach, and greater access to students. Looking ahead, there is now also the potential to increase students' access to more diverse faculties, both nationally and internationally. It will become easier to access lectures from anywhere in the world.

“More African countries have improved their digital capabilities as the pandemic accelerated our move into the digital era. Many are now offering courses online, and the use of virtual platforms has increased our international relationships." Therefore, Ogunsola said, universities should plan more intentionally to use technology for pedagogy, for productivity improvements, and for developing critical thinking skills in students.

Moreover, COVID-19 has emphasised the need for funding to help higher education institutions cope with similar crises in the future. “It becomes imperative that we have new funding streams and funds that we can put aside for phenomena such as COVID-19. Governments have to be part of this solution," Ogunsola said.

Panel members discussing the complexities and opportunities presented by the virus in African higher education and society included Prof Hester Klopper, SU's Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Strategy and Internationalisation, and Xola Njengele, SU's Students' Representative Council chair.

Prof Klopper explained to summit delegates how SU had immediately switched to online teaching when the pandemic hit. “But as the lockdown became a reality, we discovered that not all students had access to technology and data," she said. “As far as possible, we provided laptops and data to students so that they could have access to online classes. Our overall aim was to ensure that we support our students to complete the 2020 academic year successfully, and in that respect, we succeeded. Our statistics show that we surpassed our previous qualifications record, having awarded a total of 9 234 qualifications for the 2020 year."

Njengele confirmed that SU's focus on providing and improving online learning technologies had contributed significantly to students' academic success. “Students now had access to learning material on a 24-hour basis because the majority of lectures could be recorded and uploaded. This proved useful where students struggled to understand the work, and provided an extra opportunity to engage with their academic material." Yet the sudden move to online learning, and the day-to-day decisions student leaders had to make to ensure that no student was left behind, were unique circumstances, which proved challenging at times, he said.

Other themes participants explored during the summit included student governance best-practices in the modern era, the digital divide, and student perspectives on the role of the African Union in advancing student leadership on the continent beyond COVID-19.