Moderator :
Prof Elijah Omwenga
Vice-Chancellor
Open University of Keyna
Prof Elijah Omwenga, PhD, is a distinguished academic in computer science with over 30 years’ experience as a software engineer and ICT consultant. He has published more than 60 scholarly articles and has held notable positions, including his current role as Vice-Chancellor of the Open University of Kenya. He has also served in leadership positions at the University of Kabianga and the University of Nairobi, and is involved in various governance boards, including his current role at the Kenya Industrial Property Institute. Recognised as a Commonwealth and VLIR scholar, he is dedicated to enhancing higher education accessibility and quality in Africa.
Discussants:
Dr (Mrs) Brinda Oogarah-Pratap is an Associate Professor at the Mauritius Institute of Education with over two decades of experience in teacher education, distance learning and academic leadership. She has led the development and coordination of teacher education programmes for primary and secondary school teachers offered on a blended mode and has contributed to national policy on open and distance education. Her doctoral research explored the use of asynchronous online discussions to promote deep learning in non-Western, non-native English-speaking contexts. She also serves as a reviewer for peer-reviewed international journals in education and distance learning.
Prof Geesje van den Berg is a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies at the University of South Africa (Unisa). She holds the Commonwealth of Learning Chair in Open Distance Learning (ODL) for Teacher Education. She has published books, chapters and articles in accredited journals and has supervised numerous postgraduate students. Her research publications focus on the theory and practice of ODL in teacher education, student interaction with technology in ODL and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in this field. She is rated as an established researcher by the National Research Foundation (NRF). Additionally, she is the programme manager for the structured Master in Education in ODL degree programme.
Dr Logan Govender is a research associate at the Ali Mazrui Centre for Higher Education Studies at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He is a National Research Foundation (NRF)-rated researcher. His research interests span higher education transformation, education policy and teacher unionism. His most recent publications are two co-edited books with Emnet Tadesse Woldegiorgis and Dennis Zami Atibuni: Higher education transformation in Africa: A quest for epistemological rupture and Rethinking higher education in post-apartheid South Africa: Transformative trajectories within a decolonial paradigm (Routledge, 2025).
Prof Laban Peter Ayiro has been the Vice-Chancellor of Daystar University, Kenya, since March 2019. Born in Kibera, Nairobi, in 1957, he rose from being a Chemistry teacher to filling key national leadership roles in education, including that of Acting Vice-Chancellor of Moi University, Kenya. He is a Senior Fulbright Scholar and full professor of Research Methods and Statistics. Prof Ayiro has over 20 peer-reviewed publications and is a respected consultant in research and leadership. He was awarded the Silver Star of Kenya and the Fellowship of Certified Secretary (FCS) for his service in education, governance and public policy.
