Prof Linda du Plessis, deputy vice-chancellor for planning and Vanderbijlpark Campus operations at the North-West University (NWU), recently graced the stage at the Global Education Summit 2023 (GES-2023) at Chandigarh University in Gharuan, India.

The two-day summit, titled “India: Voice of Global South”, focused on promoting inclusiveness and international collaboration in higher education, with academics from 30 countries participating.

Prof du Plessis joined more than 50 vice-chancellors representing leading universities in 27 countries. Her presentation focused on the NWU’s collaboration in higher education to achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Prof Du Plessis says the summit sought to unite academic leaders from around the world to explore innovative approaches to education, research and sustainable development, contributing to the global goal of “One Earth, One Family, One Future".

"The focus was on developing innovative teaching approaches and ensuring the global sustainability of academic frameworks. The summit also included extensive deliberation on the opportunities that arise from university partnerships," she explains.

She adds that various interesting topics where discussed, including the future of online learning and micro credentials. “These approaches open up opportunities for universities to share educational resources and provide students with more flexible learning options. These approaches are becoming increasingly popular due to the rising costs of traditional education, which have been made worse by a sharp growth in student numbers.”

 Prof Linda du Plessis.