Unisa confers honorary doctorate on internationally renowned education scholar

On 06 May, the university conferred the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Honoris Causa) on Professor George Sefa Dei in recognition of the national and international impact of his scholarly pursuits, even beyond the realm of academia, and his lifelong quest for answers to global educational challenges.

Honorary doctorate recipient Prof George Sefa Dei

Introducing the honouree, Professor Mpine Makoe, Executive Dean of the College of Education, said that the Ghanaian-born Dei is a renowned educator, researcher and writer. “He is regarded by many as one of Canada’s foremost scholars on race, anti-racism studies, black and minority education, and anti-colonial thought,” she continued. “He is widely sought after as an academic researcher and community worker, whose professional and academic work has led to many Canadian and international speaking invitations. Currently, he is a professor of Social Justice Education and Director of the Centre for Integrative Anti-Racism Studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, Canada.”

Prof Mpine Makoe, Executive Dean of the College of Education, introducing Prof Dei

Makoe further noted that Dei held  the prestigious Carnegie Diaspora Fellowship in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. “In August of 2012,” she continued, ” Professor Dei received the honorary title of Professor Extraordinarius from the Department of Inclusive Education in the College of Education at Unisa. In 2017, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the most prestigious award for an academic scholar in that country.”

Impact beyond academia

Moving on to accolades, Makoe said that In April 2021, the Ontario Alliance of Black School Educators awarded Dei a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his long-standing work on promoting black and minority youth education. Outside the world of academia, he was named  by Silvertrust Media as one of the 100 most influential black Canadians in October 2023. Also in 2023, he was co-recipient of the University of Toronto President’s Impact Award.

Makoe briefly touched upon Dei’s illustrious record of publishing, speaking engagements and media appearances across the world. Illustrating Dei’s commitment to his community and roots, Makoe said that in 2007, he was installed as the chief (Adumakwaahene) of the town of Asokore, Ghana.  

Prof Puleng LenkaBula, Unisa Principal and Vice-Chancellor, conferring the honorary degree on Prof Dei

After conferring the degree, Professor Puleng LenkaBula, Unisa Principal and Vice-Chancellor, said that in the continent of Africa, in North America, and everywhere else in the world, Professor Dei is recognised as a visionary leader, who has contributed to the knowledge and dignity of Africa, its knowledge systems, its civilization, as it ever encounters other knowledge systems.

Greeted by the audience with warm applause and cheers, Dei, in his acceptance address, said that this year he was blessed to receive honorary doctorates from two universities. “I treasure the honorary degree from Unisa the most,” he continued, “ because it comes from the biggest of all African universities.

“We all need to imagine the world the way we want it to be,” said Dei, “and work hard to make it happen. This is our responsibility.

A university in Africa is not necessarily an African university

Dei said that what we need is needed are African universities, not universities in Africa. “There’s a big difference,” he explained. “I also want to highlight that we should work with our indigenous culture teachers. We are all familiar with the philosophy of ubuntu: I am because we are, and because we are, therefore I am. We also say that it takes a village to raise a child. Of course, it does – but you must create that village in the first place. We must build it, and that is why we must always create communities wherever we are. We don’t pull communities from the sky; we build communities one stone at a time.”

Dei continued to say that academics have a particular duty in Africa, that being to decolonise African institutions. “They cannot become academic satellites of the West. In curricula, we need to use our own knowledges, our own histories, our own creativity, to ensure that we decolonise our universities.”

Dei stated that African universities cannot be created without addressing the issues of social justice and equity for all. “Education,” he said, “must not be a privilege – it must be a right for everyone. And as universities become a right for everyone, we must ensure that we create inclusive spaces where everybody belongs irrespective of race, ethnicity, agenda, and class”.

“I want to end with the power of mentorship,” said Dei in conclusion. “We stand on the shoulders of those who went before us. Those of use who have the privilege of history must never forget to nurture the young ones who are coming after us. We hold each other up; we build people up. As we mentor people, we ourselves are being mentored.”  

Click here to listen to a Unisa Radio interview with Professor Dei

* By Philip van der Merwe, Editor, Department of Institutional Advancement

** Photos by Shooheima Champion, Unisa Multimedia Centre