It was recently the turn of the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Student Representative Council (SRC) to host a webinar as part of a series focusing on the initiatives, goals and objectives of the University’s faculties for curriculum transformation. The aim of the SRC’s webinar was to take stock of the University’s position in relation to the SRC and the student body whose experience, perspective on and expectations of the curriculum transformation project it represents. The webinar was moderated by Professor Charles Maimela, Deputy Dean: Faculty of Law, and Coordinator for the relaunch of UP’s Curriculum Transformation Drive.

Uwaiza Abdool Sattar, UP SRC: Academics Officer 1, said transitioning from high school to university can be a very daunting experience, as it was for her, and that it is important to take this into consideration when it comes to curriculum transformation. “The classroom experience is one where curriculum transformation is extremely important, it is what the foundation of the academics is built on,” she said. “When I refer to curriculum transformation within academics I am referring to the diverse surroundings and the welcoming atmosphere.”

She added that it was important to ensure that with COVID-19 restrictions having moved most university “classrooms” online,  students’ overall participation and the transformation of the curriculum were not limited.

“Curriculum transformation is important because we are faced with challenges on a daily basis which require solutions [and] the current academic curriculum does not have an answer to all the challenges nor does it cater [to students’ needs] as effectively as one would like,” said Stefan Steenekamp, SRC: Academics Officer 2.

Steenekamp emphasised that the process of curriculum transformation should prioritise inclusivity, particularly in a country with a long history of exclusion and whose society is as unequal as South Africa is. “This will open the floor for new and ground-breaking insights, which was not possible. Academic transformation should make the curriculum relevant to South Africans, encourage collaboration and engagement between students and staff; and the curriculum should intensify research,” he said.

Adding to the conversation, Nothando Ngubeni, SRC: External Affairs, said understanding curriculum transformation as a process of moving from one place to another, characterised by rethinking and reimagining the pursuance of social and environmental justice within UP, and the higher education sector in general, would help create more effective responses to students’ diverse backgrounds. “Teaching and learning does not only involve engagement with a variety of social imagination but it also involves bringing solutions to inequality, exclusion, marginalisation and social injustice,” she said, adding that it was vital that institutional change reflects on academic programmes as well.

Concluding the conversation, Chane Williamson, SRC: Residences Officer 1, said what comes to mind for her in discussions around transformation is the name change debate  involving changing the names of buildings, structures and streets. “I think we have now transformed, because looking at our country; it is a such a diverse country and it only makes sense to put all 11 official languages out there and not cancel others like Afrikaans, especially at higher learning institutions.”  

This webinar took place on 30 September 2021

Click here to watch the full session