University of Mpumalanga hosts public colloquium

The University of Mpumalanga (UMP) and the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) hosted a public colloquium on Monday January 22 on teaching, learning and research for skills and knowledge for the Just Transition Framework.

The conference aimed to initiate dialogue with the university community and to seek collaboration to initiate a platform for engagement on how the UMP can be practical through learning, research and teaching to support the national discourse on climate change and just transition.

The panel discussion explored experiences on various stages of the Just Transition Framework in addressing socio-economic needs, sharing insights on approaches to the skills needed and exploring how we can collaborate with institutions of learning.

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The UMP’s vice chancellor, Prof Thoko Mayekiso, said the colloquium sought to embark on a transformative journey to force positive shifts.

She further mentioned that the university agreed with the view expressed by the PCC, that a well-managed, just energy transition can be a strong driver for new and better jobs, social justice and poverty eradication. “There’s no doubt in our minds as the UMP community that the goal cannot be achieved without a plan of strategic capacity-building. It will be important to mobilise the university’s scholarly community to be conscious of the challenges we face. Our goal is to make a pioneering, critical and constructive contribution through the production and dissemination of knowledge. We are committed to using the university’s knowledge assets to actively and creatively promote a vibrant economic, social and political democracy in which all sections of society, particularly the poor, can find a meaningful place,” she explained.

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The deputy vice chancellor of postgraduate studies, engagement and planning, Prof Moses Mbewe, mentioned how institutions of higher education should be futuristic and responsive in dealing with issues of climate change and transitioning. “It is imperative as a university to produce graduates that are relevant for future jobs and are able to deal with this particular important issue of generating energy using methods that can be sustainable in the future. So when one teaches physics or when one teaches environmental science within the institution, one is likely to produce students who are conscious about what it is that they are being trained to do, where they are going, and the type of products required to solving a particular problem,” said Mbewe.