The academic year commenced with a bang as CPUT demonstrated to higher education institutions, both locally and internationally, what it means to present a high-level post-pandemic conference.
The venue was the Century City Hotel, the dates were 8th to 11th January 2023.
Never before has it been necessary to cancel an Education Association of South Africa (EASA) conference due to a worldwide pandemic, but this was the unfortunate situation with the EASA conference in 2021/2022.
The conference's theme was Oceans of wisdom, Mountains of knowledge and the winds of change.
The EASA is an inclusive network of academics, researchers, and practitioners whose primary concerns are education, particularly in South Africa. Through active exchange and critique of hypotheses, theories and practices, EASA members strive to promote excellence in education-related research and science.
Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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The local organising committee chairperson, Prof Candice Livingston, welcomed delegates from all over the world to the Cape of Good Hope. Livingston said: “We gathered to share findings and prospects and savour the educational world like the salt from the sea. It is our wish that delegates will return to their institutions after the conclusion of this conference, enriched and refreshed and that the experience opened horizons of hope and confidence so that we can sail ahead and not be engulfed by storms of despair.”
The Dean of the Education Faculty, Prof Andile Mji, said: “It is an absolute joy to be hosting this crucial academic event and please feel free to explore Cape Town during your free time at the conference.”
The local organising committee declared that due to the very trying nature of the past three years, it was an absolute joy to be hosting the conference this year. A noticeable aspect concerning abstract submission showed that almost double the amount of the usual abstract registrations were submitted by prospective delegates. Livingston said: “We had one objective, which was that the conference provided an ideal forum to open discussions about the most recent educational landscape of today.”
The outgoing chairperson of EASA 2022, Prof Funke Omidire, said: “We looked forward to the keynote addresses of Prof Thuli Madonsela, Prof Mbulungeni Madiba, and the plenary sessions which Prof Irma Eloff and Prof Piet Van Avermaet held. Furthermore, I want to seize this opportunity to show appreciation to our hosts Cape Peninsula University of Technology, the Two Oceans Graduate Institute, the Flemish Interuniversity Council and the organising committee, the conference administrators, and the EASA executive committee, as we look forward to a memorable conference.”
The titles of the presentations by the keynote speakers were as follow:
Prof Thulisile Madonsela – Social Justice, Fragility and Education
Prof Mbulungeni Madiba – Multilingualism, social justice, and inclusion in South African higher Education
Prof Irma Eloff – Vignettes of sustainability: The role of teacher educators in supporting Agenda 2030
Prof Piet Van Avermaet – Diversity, excellence and equity in education: An historically pressured symbiotic relationship.
Livingston added: “Last, but definitely not least, the EASA executive members, local organising committee and all stakeholders involved in the setting-up of the conference would like to thank the star of the show Mr Clive Brown, our master of ceremonies and programme director. His energy and professionalism were a pleasure to behold.”
