After a successful pitch that positioned the University of Limpopo (UL) as a research-oriented destination of choice, the institution has been confirmed as the host of the 2022 Southern African-Nordic Centre (SANORD) Annual Scientific Conference.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Partnerships Prof Jesika Singh presented the pitch which was well received during the 13th annual conference hosted digitally recently in Norway by the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) and the University of Bergen.
Among many objectives, SANORD looks to stimulate multilateral research and innovation. This is achieved through researchers who team up across institutional, disciplinary, and national boundaries. The researchers identify academic fields and research topics where sharing of resources and expertise will expand the capacity and achievements of each member.
The Local Organising Committee Chairperson, Dr. Thembinkosi Mabila, who is also the Director of the Department of Research Administration and Development at UL, disclosed that the institution has already developed a working document regarding the hosting of the conference in December 2022.
“We are working with the SANORD Central Office at the University of the Western Cape to ensure the success of next year’s conference,” said Dr. Mabila, who added that the university plans to offer many activities such as webinars, seminars, and guest lectures gearing up to the conference.
Dr. Mabila stated that by hosting the conference, UL would be able to solidify its position as a member of this dynamic organisation. He noted that the opportunity will also allow UL researchers involved in specialty areas connected with SANORD’s focus areas to closely explore new areas of collaboration and partnerships.
“Most significantly, emerging researchers who may find it difficult to gain access to international platforms will have the opportunity to interact with a diverse range of scholars from the Southern African Community as well as those from Nordic countries,” added Dr. Mabila.
This year’s conference was hosted under the theme “Vitalizing partnerships – Moving forward to a sustainable future” and sub-themes Climate and climate impacts on humans; Higher education: Shaping the SDG curriculum; Health: Addressing complexity in health, Innovation, and entrepreneurship; Epistemic challenges, intellectual labour, and South-North partnerships, and Moving forward: Music and arts.
Some UL academics also presented their papers at this year’s proceedings including Prof Mahlapahlapana Themane from the School of Education. His paper titled “Articulation in Higher Education System in South Africa: In pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals”. The study aimed to assess South Africa’s progress in terms of articulation in the higher education system during the last 25 years. Several policies and guidelines, including an articulation policy, were devised to restructure higher education, according to Prof Themane. Given this, he stated that his research intended to determine how this policy has evolved to reach its goal. This policy aims to facilitate the execution of trustworthy articulation methods in the Post School Education and Training System (PSET).
Prof Thomas Mabasa, also from the School of Education, presented a paper titled “Higher Education Curriculum Transformation in South Africa and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Challenges and Opportunities.” The study’s goal was to investigate the extent to which higher education curriculum restructuring contributed to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in South Africa between 1994 and 2021.
His study stated that, despite South Africa’s important position in advocating the SDGs, there is a slow pace in advancing them through the higher education transformative agenda. According to Prof Mabasa, this is due to several factors, including demands to decolonise the curriculum, challenges with policy formulation and implementation, a lack of an effective articulation system, ongoing disparities and inequities, class-based educational institutions, low throughput, and a high dropout rate. He emphasised that these problems might be used to link the curriculum with the SDGs.
Carina Marais, Director of the Resource Mobilisation Centre, also presented a paper at the conference titled “Capacity and competence building for health personnel in traumatology and emergency medicine.” The project’s goal was to provide Norwegian health professionals with hands-on experience with trauma patients with wounds rarely encountered in Norway, as well as to inform South African personnel on how to organise and treat trauma patients in a multidisciplinary manner.
Academics at UL who wish to participate in the 2022 SANORD Annual Conference are encouraged to contact the conference secretariat: Buliswa Msana and Annah Choene – Buliswa.Msana@ul.ac.za and Annah.Chuene@ul.ac.za , respectively.