GEORGE NEWS - Recently the Jeda Foundation led college and university leaders from South Africa and the United States in an exciting online symposium about best practices during and beyond Covid-19.
This meeting of the minds on 23 August could not come at a more opportune time, as the pandemic has caused major disruption to education, which has been severely impacted in teaching, learning, research and outreach.
Jeda Foundation president Prof Quinton Johnson, who chaired the meeting, urged the delegates in his opening address to realistically change the world and make it better.
Prestigious colleges including Tacoma, Everette, Bates and South Cape were joined by the Washington and Nelson Mandela universities to discuss how they have and continue to deliver quality education in a Covid-19 world.
The first session was addressed by college presidents, Dr Ivan Harrell, Dr Daria Willis and Dr Lin Zhou with acting CEO Dr Tercia Terblanche. They spoke of the strategic plans they have implemented to ensure that the colleges could continue serving students, staff and communities remotely.
The second session featured vice-presidents Dr Marissa Schlessinger and Dr Cathy Leaker with Dr Sam Webber and Dr Chris Knaus, who spoke about the academic plans they have imaginatively activated with colleagues at their institutions when compelled to operate almost exclusively online.
In summary, the following approaches were found to be very useful in the environment of the "new normal":
• Aligning all policies and plans with public health guidelines and the strong requirement for resources.
• Fully embracing digital convergence and strategically investing in technology platforms for the future.
• Developing blended learning strategies with strict safety protocols for any onsite learning.
• Comprehensively supporting students and staff to transition to the futuristic online environment.
• Engaging industry to collaborate with institutions to make devices and data more accessible to all.
• Focusing on strengthening the mental health of students and staff because the challenges are real.
• Reducing the inequalities related to race, diversity and income, which are now especially exposed.
• Ensuring that all students and staff can dream again and find their purpose.
• Building collaborative learning and social support for belonging, readiness, careers and sustainability.
• Developing staff to transform their thinking and be more committed to the survival of humanity.
In closing the symposium, Johnson thanked all the education leaders for their inspiring work to change the lives of our citizens and create a better future for all.
He noted that the vital international bridge of education that is being developed between South Africa and the United States will contribute significantly towards celebrating the 25th anniversary of the George-Tacoma Sister Cities partnership in 2022.
The president of the Jeda Foundation, Dr Quinton Johnson (front right), hosted a United States Education Delegation and facilitated an MoU between them and the South Cape College in 2020.
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