“Education is a powerful driver of development and is one of the strongest instruments for reducing poverty and improving health, gender equality, peace, and stability. A quality education that ensures learning for all children and youth provides them with the skills and competencies necessary for success in life and work.” These were the sentiments echoed by Prof Michael Cross at a joint conference.
The Ali Mazrui Centre of Higher Education Studies (AMC) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), in partnership with World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES) and the Indian Ocean Comparative Education Society (IOCES) hosted a symposium which saw panels of South African and foreign experts discussing aspects of Peace and Harmony through Ubuntu. The central themes of this highly acclaimed conference was comparative education for global citizenship, Peace and Harmony through Ubuntu and rethinking Epistemologies and Innovating Pedagogies to Foster Global Peace.”
The conference took place on June 21- 22 2018 at the Council Chambers, in Auckland Park Kingsway Campus.
“The purpose of the conference was to focus on exploring tools and research that aim to enhance education system policies and performance to help ensure learning for all and to discover priorities of the education systems research agenda across the global community,” said Prof Michael Cross, Research Professor of the Ali Mazrui Centre at the University of Johannesburg.
The conference discussed topics such as: the Ubuntu paradigm & transformative pedagogy; colonial legacies and endogenous voices; cultural, context & comparative education; Universities and the quest for social justice; indigenous systems of knowledge/student voices for global peace; Inclusion: Female population, students with disabilities & health issues; Dynamics of the local and global on education; diversity & inclusive pedagogy as well as policy and praxis of inclusion in education: Gender & Language.
“The conference brought together an international audience of education stakeholders, from policy makers to academics and researchers, to explore the evolution of education systems research and discuss the advancement of tools that are enabling the development community to better understand education system policies and institutions,” explained Prof Cross.
In addition to Prof Cross, members of the University’s Faculty of Education presented papers. Presentations were not limited to that of the conference theme, and papers were delivered on various educational system topics.
The findings from the event will shape the educational pedagogy as it continues to evolve; exploring, assessing, and understanding the complexities of education system policy intent, implementation, and service delivery.
Speech by Dr Nolitha Vukuza, Senior Executive Director, Vice-Chancellor’s Office (UJ)
