Engaging and activating Unisa’s identity as a CODEL + institution

Unisa’s senior managers at all levels, government executives, and members of the diplomatic community recently met for a Unisa Management Lekgotla on 11 and 12 March 2022. The theme was ‘Reclaiming and reimagining African intellectual futures in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic’.

Dr Genevieve James, Deputy Director: Community Engagement, addressed the Lekgotla on Unisa’s engaged scholarship. Her presentation, which aimed to review Unisa’s purpose, posited the need for higher education, and Unisa in particular, to address what it means to be involved in higher education in the 21^st century. James said that although times have changed, the aspirations of South Africans enshrined in the Freedom Charter have not changed.

Dr Genevieve James

Discerning the times and seasons

“I would like to look at higher education against the backdrop of how well it has supported the nation in achieving its aspirations and development goals,” she argued. Dr James asserted that the question we need to ask ourselves and keep asking ourselves is whether higher education can be a catalyst for the transformation of our economy, environment and society. “Can higher education indeed, as it claims, create a better world?” she asked. James explained that we must discern the times and the seasons. “The drums of war are beating. Now is not the time for business as usual.” She contended that the world is in distress because of continuous conflict on the continent and around the world. Conflict is reshaping the global order and causing the world to become increasingly divisive. She said: “Instead of being socially cohesive, we are increasing social discord” and noted that it is important to take note of it because it will influence our thinking, our consciousness, and our discourse in every aspect of our work in the academy.

“We are seeing geopolitical shifts and new political, economic, and military alliances. The changing and shifting global order also has an impact on us as human beings. When there is a change in the global order and opposing powers battle it out, everybody else suffers,” she maintained. According to James, a competing global order is characterised by competition between educational, medical, political, and economic systems. In view of the fierce competition and the changing global order, James explained that we need to ask ourselves once more: “Will we, as Africa, be sandwiched in the middle of the East-West war? Or will we rise and have our discourse, consciousness, and action?”

James explained that the aim of science is more publications and academic projects through collaboration. She asserted that, in these uncertain times, Unisa needs to carefully scrutinise its curricular efforts and determine how it is positioning African expertise in the world. Unisa has a great deal to share with the world. Its development paradigms and mandates and how it uses these in various development contexts can make a significant contribution elsewhere in the world. “Across colleges, we need to position our African scholars as critical partners in development.” Like a mother giving birth and whose contractions follow upon each other in quicker and quicker succession, we are witnessing more and more changes in our world. Global crises are no longer 100 years apart, and we are now in the throes of global change, she said.

Positioning Unisa globally

James asked: “How do we position Unisa when the African continent’s population will double by 2050? Are we prepared for such a growth in our population, for the massive urban agglomerations if we do not have the congruent labour opportunities?” She stressed that we will have to provide adequate labour opportunities for our growing cities. James warned that post the Covid-19 pandemic, considerable challenges will have to be solved such as the erosion of our social cohesion and a livelihood crisis. In this regard, she claimed: “Our colleges of Economics and Management Sciences, the SBL, Human Sciences, and Accounting Sciences need to assist us.” She further explained that Unisa needs to identify ways to address global risks that affect our sustainability as the human family. “One crisis will follow on the heels of each other, as one contraction follows on the heels of another. And so, how do we position ourselves, as an engaged university, to deal with these crises?

James stated that Unisa had realised that its students cannot perform well in development contexts where pathologies of access exist. Therefore, as part of the reconstruction of the higher education system, it added community engagement to teaching and learning and developed engaging curricula that are responsive and socially relevant so that society could better understand the world.

“The VC has encouraged us to link community engagement to engaged scholarship. We have to ensure that, within the context of higher education, we do not see community engagement as collecting canned foods or giving out teddy bears, but that we commit to the long-term journey of working with our communities,” declared James. Therefore, this year Unisa has 113 development projects which are linked to colleges. Each of the projects are also linked to the National Development Plan and the Africa 2063 agenda. “But these projects will also contribute a great deal to teaching and learning, and research,” said James.

The engaged university is open

James affirmed that, currently, universities exist in an open ecosystem and that academics need to engage with each other in a multi-transdisciplinary manner. “We engage across sectors and support departments with our students. Outside the university, we engage with government, business, civil society, and communities in urban and rural areas,” she said. James pleaded for engaged knowledge mobilisation for a greater impact and added that about 25 sessions of engaged scholarship will run throughout the year. “Please join us as we deepen it and take it further.” She appealed to everyone: “Become engaged. As a teacher, you don't have to conduct research on your own. Discover the social nature of teaching and learning through engagement. Discover new situated knowledge that can enhance your curriculum and knowledge that is situated not inside, but outside the academy.”

“Being an engaged teacher means that you will also be sensitive to the development context in which you live, breathe and work. Become an engaged researcher. Don't conduct your research on your own; don’t sit behind your computer doing desktop research. Widen your networks of inquiry so that you can bring vital situated knowledge into the academy to deepen our practice as a CODEL + institution,” James concluded.

*By Tshimangadzo Mphaphuli, Senior Journalist, Department of Institutional Advancement