Ms Daweti’s visit follows after an invitation from Mr Kagiso Pooe, a lecturer in the School of Basic Sciences, as part of an initiative to bridge the gap between academia and the realities of the world of work.
According to Mr Pooe more often than not, students ask questions that need a professional response rather than an academic explanation – hence the importance of bringing industry captains to the campus.
“It is very important that our students get real-time exposure – this helps them understand how what they study in class will translate into the corporate world,” says Mr Pooe.
NSG’s visit
As part of her visit, Ms Daweti gave a lecture titled: “Public Service Leadership Development and Support: A perspective from the National School of Government”.
Speaking in an auditorium filled to capacity with aspiring public servants, Daweti said that the environment to which the South African public service must respond is becoming more complex, and requires adaptive and ethical leadership at all levels of service. She added that public service work is increasingly connected with that of different sectors such as universities, communities, and the private sector.
Referring to the National Development Plan (NDP), she mentioned that the public service realm seeks to attract highly skilled people and cultivate a sense professional common purpose and commitment to developmental goals. She provided an overview of the programmes and interventions that the NSG offers to enhance management and leadership capacity from supervisory level to executive level, as well as programmes tailor-made for the legislative sector.
During her presentation she explained to the students some of the ways in which young people can develop a leadership and service consciousness, even if they are not in formal employment yet. She commended the School of Basic Sciences for creating opportunities for joint dialogue which broaden the perspectives of students early on in their studies.
Future plans
According to Ms Daweti, the NSG already has a Leadership Platform Series that includes seminars, workshops and dialogues with various sectors and organisations. The joint lectures with the campus form part of partnerships by which capacity building initiatives are shared and expanded, in a manner that opens up the academic curricula to issues of concern in society.
“As the NSG, we will from time to time make ourselves available to join initiatives such as these in order to keep the dialogue going,” she added. She concluded by saying that there are plans underway to bring together students, academics and practitioners around similar initiatives, including hosting international scholars.
More about Ms Daweti
Ms Daweti currently holds the position of Chief Director: Leadership Training at the National School of Government (NSG) formerly known as PALAMA.
She has devoted her career to public service, having worked in the education sector in portfolios ranging from curriculum design and development, open and distance learning consultancy, research and project management, and leadership development and support. She views leadership development as one of the key enablers for the thousands of public servants to shape their sense of pride and professionalism in the job they do for the citizens of South Africa. She ascribes great importance to service delivery and to emergent leadership, adding that anyone can lead from anywhere as part of a bigger cause.
Students listened attentively during the persentation.
