Serious matters around gender equality and equity addressed at round table discussion hosted at UJ.
The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), the British Council of SA and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and the Duchess of Sussex held a high-level round table discussion on 1 October to identify and provide solutions for issues facing women empowerment in higher education. The discussion, which was hosted at UJ’s Kingsway Campus, brought together philanthropists, academics, donor institutions, and international and regional development organisations.
UJ’s vice-chancellor and principal welcomed the duchess and distinguished guests in his opening address at the event. “At UJ, we recognise the importance of education and understand that if you want to feed a village, you must empower a woman.”
He was pleased to discover that the duchess would be announcing three new gender grants that will be awarded to researchers at UJ and two other South African universities.
The Duchess of Sussex shared her thoughts at the discussion. “The goal here is to be able to have gender equality, to be able to support women working in research and higher education roles and also to convene workshops that help people understand the importance of gender equality.”
The duchess went on to say it is an unfortunate reality that many young people around the commonwealth countries may never reach their full potential due to higher education being unaffordable. “Whether it is cost-prohibitive or that the cultural stigma in their specific community restricts their ability to attend by virtue of their gender, race or creed – the ACU seeks to break through the boundaries and enable all curious minds the opportunity to whet their appetites for the experiential value of higher learning.”
The roundtable was one of two ACU events in South Africa focused on inclusive and quality education. The second part will have the ASU and Universities South Africa launching a new report with recommendations to transform support for the research landscape in South Africa. The two believe that the supporting of academics in the early stages of their careers is key for South African universities and crucial to the long-term vitality of teaching and research.
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