Our Speakers
The Speakers
Prof Romeela Mohee is currently the Higher Education Commissioner of Mauritius, whereby she is responsible for regulating all public and private universities, as well as funding of public universities in Mauritius. She is driving transformative projects at national level, including the development of a National Credit Value and Transfer System, which will enable mobility of students and the Technology-Enabled Learning Project for public universities. She holds an engineering degree in Energy and Environment from a Grande Ecole d’Ingenieurs, the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon, France, (under a French Scholarship) and a PhD from the University of Mauritius. Romeela has 30 years of academic experience as a Professor and Head of Department in the field of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, as well as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering from 2009 to 2012. She has also held the position of Vice Chancellor of the University of Mauritius, the national university regrouping 10000 students from 2013 to 2016. She was also the National Research Chair in Solid Waste Management at the Mauritius Research Council. Prof Mohee is an experienced Education Specialist with a demonstrated history of working in the development of higher education models and policies. She has worked at the Commonwealth of Learning from 2017 to 2020 as an Education Specialist and has assisted many Commonwealth member states in their development of higher education policies and strategies. She expertly guided governments and institutions on e-learning for sustainable development, quality assurance and employability. She has published over 200 international research and conference papers, edited 8 books, 4 book chapters, and has supervised to date more than 50 undergraduate and 30 masters and doctoral students in the field of energy and environmental engineering. Professor Mohee has received a number of awards and recognitions including the winner of the African Union best woman scientist award for Science Technology and Innovation in 2009. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) and a Fellow of the Mauritius Academy of Science and Technology (FMAST), Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Chemical Engineers UK (F IChemE) and she is among others an Associate member of the International Association of Universities (IAU). She is also a Member of the Steering Committee for the Research Management Programme in Africa (ReMPro Africa).
Prof Elifas Bisanda is the Vice Chancellor of The Open University of Tanzania (OUT) since 2015. Before his appointment in 2015, Prof. Bisanda, was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Regional Services) for two (2) years, then Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) for a period of six (6) years at the Open University of Tanzania. He holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of Bath, UK (1991), an M.Sc. in Metallurgical Engineering from Cranfield University UK (1984), and a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dar es Salaam (1981). He is also a Registered Professional Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Tanzania. He is also a fellow of the Tanzania Academy of Sciences (TAAS). Prof Bisanda is the Chairman of the Governing Council for the Institute of Adult Education in Tanzania. He is also the Chairman of the Council of Morogoro Vocational Teachers Training College. He is a member of the University of Arusha Council and the Tanzania Police Training Board. Prof. Bisanda is a strong supporter and promoter of Open and Distance Learning and has been instrumental in the strategic development of ICT mediated learning and management at the Open University of Tanzania.
Prof Mpine Makoe is the Commonwealth of Learning Chair in Open Education Practices/Resources at the University of South Africa (UNISA). She is also a National Research Foundation (NRF) rated professor in Open Distance eLearning (ODeL) and a director of African Council for Distance Education (ACDE). Prof Makoe has published extensively in technology-enhanced learning, including mobile learning; staff development; quality and policy formulation in ODeL. She has also done consultancy work for the Commonwealth of Learning facilitating the development of ODeL policies in different universities in Africa. She holds a PhD and MSc in Educational Technology from the Open University, UK. She also has an MA in Journalism from the University of Michigan and BA in Communication and English from Hope College in Michigan as well as a diploma in journalism from Africa Literature Centre in Zambia. Mpine is actively involved in distance education associations nationally, regionally and internationally. She is also a member of the University Futures Network. She is the Executive Dean of the College of Education at UNISA.
Professor Santosh Panda started university teaching in 1984; became a full professor in 1997; and is currently Director, Staff Training and Research Institute, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi, India. He has a PhD in Education (Kurukshetra), Fulbright Post-Doctoral (UNM, USA), Certificate in Education TV (BBC, UK), and Certificate in Online Teaching (Maryland, USA). In the past, he has been: i) Chairperson, National Council for Teacher Education, Government of India. ii) Director of Policy & Research, Association of Indian Universities (AIU). iii) Director, Centre of Flexible Learning, University of the South Pacific, Fiji. iv) Founding Director, Inter-University Consortium for TEL/ICT, IGNOU. v) Visiting Professor at University of London/UK, Manchester Metropolitan University/UK, University of Maryland/USA, Beijing Normal University/China, and University of Guadalajara/Mexico. Dr Panda has presented Keynotes and Workshops in above 25 countries; and presented Convocation Addresses in five universities. He is Chief Editor of the Scopus-indexed refereed journal ‘Journal of Learning for Development of the Commonwealth of Learning/ Canada; Chief Editor of Indian Journal of Open Learning UGC-CARE ; Editor of refereed Staff & Educational Development International, and sits in the editorial board of above 15 refereed international journals, mostly published by Routledge. [Refereed Journal papers: 48; Book Chapters: 44; Books: 19; Conference Papers: 34; Keynotes: 12; Convocation Addresses: 4]. He is a governing board member of the International Council for Educational Development/ UK, and president of its national forum Network for Staff & Educational Development/ India. Also, Dr Panda is the member of National Yoga Certification Board, TC, Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India. Currently, Dr Panda is the National Coordinator of nation-wide training of 1.5 million university and college teachers on National Education Policy-2020, sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, and implemented jointly by University Grants Commission and IGNOU. Training Platform: https://ignou-nep-pdp.samarth.ac.in/?fbclid=IwAR3hzcAfrNic56R-ydYt2Nc2dOIh38QKONx73yis-o-MaFMNQ2QMCBCX9QE
Respondents
Sifiso Nyathi served as the Registrar for the University of Namibia from 2015 - 2020. The position forms the secretariat to both the University Council and the Senate and ensures that approved policies, rules and regulations are followed as stipulated in the University Act and Statutes. Other responsibilities of the Registrar's Office include maintenance of student enrolment records and transcripts, organisation of registration procedures, scheduling of classes; management of examinations and overseeing of credit transfers as well as ensuring that students are correctly promoted and graduate following successful completion of their studies. Prof Nyathi has commendable leadership abilities and has served the University for many years in various capacities, his latest position being the Director of the Centre for Quality Assurance and Management (CEQUAM) since its inception in 2010 to 2015. He is the founding Director for CEQUAM and has been integral in setting up systems for managing and assuring quality at the University of Namibia.
Dr Godson Gatsha is the Deputy Vice Chancellor Student Services at the Botswana Open University. He holds a PhD in Education Policy Studies (University of Pretoria), MA in Distance Education, Med in Educational Management (University of Botswana). Dr Gatsha has worked as an ODL Practitioner, and Director for SADC-Centre for Distance Education, ODL Technical Advisor, Education Specialist at the Commonwealth of Learning. He has worked in various Commonwealth Member States as a Facilitator and Consultant for ODL systems, including Quality Assurance, Qualifications Framework, OER and ODL Programme Accreditation and Standards.
Prof Ndlovu’s experience in the higher education sector extends over a period of thirty-two years which covers resource mobilization, program development and lecturing, quality development and assurance, leadership, education policy, higher education planning, strategy development, governance, human resources, and transformation. He is currently Vice Principal: Strategy, Risk and Advisory Services at UNISA. In the past, he has served Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the Durban and Mangosuthu Universities of Technology. Prior to this, Prof Ndlovu was Strategic Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor at Tshwane University of Technology, Director for Higher Education Management Support in the Department of Education (now Higher Education and Training). Prof Ndlovu has also served as Senior Technical Advisor/Chief of Party for the University of Massachusetts (UMass) and the American Institutes for Research (AIR), Higher Education Team Leader for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/South Africa, Chief Education Specialist: Higher Education Planning in the Department of Education, Manager: Research Services at the University of the North (Limpopo); and Lecturer in History and Comparative Education at the University of Zululand. Prof Ndlovu served as Board member of the National Institutes for Higher Education (NIHEs) from 2005 to 2007 for Northern Cape and 2005 to 2014 for Mpumalanga and he is currently serving member and chairperson of the Elangeni TVET College Council. The NIHEs led to the establishment in 2013 of two universities: Sol Plaatje University and the University of Mpumalanga. Prof Ndlovu served as a member of several Ministerial committees and technical working groups.
Dr. Beatrice Sichombe is the Manager for Research, Development and Quality Assurance at the Namibian College of Open Learning (NAMCOL). She holds a PhD in Education Management and Policy Studies from the University of Pretoria), an MEd in Education, Theory and Practice from Rhodes University, and a Bachelor of Education (Hons) in Education Leadership and Management from Rhodes University. Dr. Sichombe obtained her BA degree in Humanities and a post-graduate diploma in education at the University of Namibia. Dr. Sichombe started her career as a teacher and later became a teacher educator (lecturer). She also worked as a research, monitoring and evaluation officer. She has extensive knowledge in teacher education, and a good understanding of research methodologies, quality assurance, leadership and management practices.
Paper Presenters
Dr Maggy Beukes-Amiss is a senior lecturer within the University of Namibia with close to nineteen (19) years of teaching/academic and research experience within the Department of Social Sciences, Information Science Section, at the University of Namibia, where she also fulfilled various teaching and leadership roles since 1995. For the past nine (9) years, since 2015, she has been the Director of the Centre for Open, Distance and eLearning (CODeL), now restyled into the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) at the University of Namibia from June, 2021. She holds an MSc Degree in Electronic Information Management (EIM) from Robert Gordon University (RGU), Aberdeen: Scotland and a PhD in Computer-integrated Education (CiE) from the University of Pretoria, South Africa and other technical qualifications in the field of ICT and eLearning. She oversees the entire strategic direction/vision and activities in the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching and plays an active role with her various management team members and staff in the implementation of Learning, Teaching, Assessment, Academic and eLearning policies, strategic platforms, tools etc. She is extremely passionate about, technology-enhanced learning and teaching opportunities, ODL and eLearning capacity-building activities, related research and serves as a reviewer of various conferences in the field of eLearning. She has been involved in eLearning capacity-building activities, ICT and eLearning policy and strategy development in Namibia and various countries in Africa and internationally. She also made several contributions to the broader Namibian society in various roles as Chairperson of Boards within the Telecommunication Industry. She has been involved in eLearning capacity-building activities in Namibia and various countries in Africa and internationally on behalf of UNAM, NOLNet, GIZ and GESCI. Dr Maggy Beukes-Amiss was listed under the elite top 10 category of Africa’s Movers and Shakers in Corporate Online Learning 2018.
I’m currently the acting deputy executive dean of the college of accounting sciences. Previously occupied positions as senior lecturer and director of school. Worked as trainee accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers (2001 -2004) and joined the University of Johannesburg as a lecturer (2004 -2008). Joined Unisa (2008 till today) as lecturer. I have an interest in school governance and public sector accounting. Hold a BCompt (Unisa); BCompt Hons (Unisa); MCom international accounting (University of Johannesburg), PHD (Unisa). Trained various public sector servants on PFMA. Assisted in school governors training and financial management policies of schools.
An experienced and qualified Higher Education Sector role-player with a Doctorate degree in Education management and over 20-years’ experience in Programme Management, Accreditation and Qualification Registration, Academic Planning, Administration and Leadership in South African Universities. Sefora Mkuzangwe offers an extensive skill-base garnered across the following spheres: Academic Planning, Programme management, Accreditation and Academic Quality Assurance, Higher Education Policy, Academic Administration, Admissions and Student administration. She has held a range of varied roles that higher education and cross these tenures; she has supported diverse aspects of strategic planning quality assurance; university operations leadership; project implementation; people leadership; financial & resource management. Her value-added participation in the Academic Arena extends to personal development, with a research focus on the Scholarship of Open Distance Education, Quality Assurance in Higher Education [Curriculum Assessment, Academic Planning & Higher Education Policy, Management & Governance]. Key to Sefora’ s success is her robust capacity to form solid alliances with internal and external stakeholders, including Academic Leadership, South African regulatory bodies and various other Professional Bodies. She closely collaborates with diverse industry bodies to maximise on transformational activities and projects across varied academic areas for both Formal and Non-Formal Academic Programmes.
Prof Dr Philip Uys has worked as a senior educational consultant in some 16 developing countries, full-time educational technology leader and practitioner for over 20 years in Australia, New Zealand, Botswana and South Africa, and Adjunct Associate Professor Education at University of Adelaide. The work has been funded mostly by the EU; ADB; USAID; UNICEF; GIZ; and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL). He focuses on enabling educational innovation and quality through leadership and educational technology. He has a PhD in Education and Communication from the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand and has extensive academic teaching and research experience. More info at www.globe-online.com.
Dr Sadrag Panduleni Shihomeka, a teacher by profession, is a media and communication practitioner, specialised in social media and youth politics. He holds a PhD in Media and Communication from Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands, MBA, and a B. Ed (Secondary). Currently he is the Head of Department for Higher Education and Lifelong Learning and a Senior Lecturer for Media and Educational Technologies at the University of Namibia. In 2021, Dr Shihomeka was a Research Sprint fellow on the African Digital Sovereignty, at The South African Research Chair in Industrial Development, University of Johannesburg in collaboration with the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin, Germany. As an ICT4D researcher, Dr Shihomeka, presented, and published in online learning and teaching, digital human rights, gender studies, as well as conferences, projects and seminars associated to e-Mourning and Post-death Digital Presence, online violence, e-ethics and marginalisation of women online areas to promote digital literacy, digital romance, e-democracy, e-addiction, e-deception and cyberbullying to empower citizens with digital skills.
Dr. Tommie Hamaluba boasts an illustrious 30-year career in public service, with a diverse background encompassing secondary school teaching and his current role as a Programme Developer for Business Subjects at a university. His extensive academic journey includes a PhD, MBA, BBA, DSE, PDOSOM, PGCEQAE, CDEP, along with multiple certificates in technology-enabled learning. Driven by a passion for education, he continues to shape and enhance the academic landscape, blending his rich expertise in business subjects with a dedication to fostering innovative learning experiences. Dr. Hamaluba is a true advocate for knowledge dissemination and empowerment through education.
Denzil Chetty is a graduate of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He holds an academic position in the College of Human Sciences (CHS) at the University of South Africa (UNISA). Since 2017, he has been seconded to lead strategic institutional projects in teaching, learning and student support. In 2017, Chetty was seconded to the Office of the then Pro-Vice Chancellor. He established the UNISA Open Learning Portal, which hosts MOOCs for public knowledge consumption and student skills development in a 0-rated portal. In 2019-2020, Chetty coordinated the DHET UCDP Project on Tutor Development, building the digital and pedagogical competencies of e-tutors. In 2020 Chetty established the Academic Development Open Virtual Hub (ADOVH) through a DHET University Covid-19 Responsiveness Grant. ADOVH is an incubator for digital innovation in teaching, learning and student support. Through a subsequent DHET UCDP grant (2021-2023), Chetty heads a project to enhance student support and 4IR readiness for an ODeL environment. As part of this project, Chetty established collaborations with Microsoft and RGB Gaming, where UNISA is the first higher education institution in Africa to use Minecraft for Education to develop students’ critical 4IR digital competencies. Chetty holds various awards, including 2003 Abe Bailey Fellowship (United Kingdom); the 2011 UNISA Award for Innovation in Teaching and Learning; the 2014 Shanghai Open University African Visiting Scholar (China); and the 2015 UNISA Excellence Award in Teaching and Learning. Chetty has authored several accredited articles, book chapters, and a single-authored book publication served as guest editor for several special journal issues and participated in several national and international conferences.
Therina Theron is Senior Director: Research and Innovation at Stellenbosch University (SU) since 2008. She is the immediate past-President and serves on the Executive Committee of the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA). She serves as Chair of the International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS) 2023 congress hosted by SARIMA in Durban, South Africa next year. She is also co-Chair of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)'s Supporting Research Community steering committee.
Panelists
Bantu Lulu MOROLONG is Associate Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Botswana Open University (BOU). She holds a PhD in International/Intercultural Educational Policy Studies and Rural Sociology, MA in Sociology (rural sociology) and a BA Ed. (Education, English and Sociology). Her career path spans more than 40 years of university service. She has taught, researched, published, and presented at local and international meetings with research interests in educational policy on higher education and ODL, rural development, gender inequalities, continuing and non-formal education, indigenous knowledge systems, and the potential role of ICTs in poverty reduction.
An Educationist for the past 43 years, in 2002, he joined the former TSA, now Unisa, as Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor and Full Professor in 2015 in the Department of Educational Leadership and Management. He has successfully supervised more than 25 M and D students with international publications in various accredited journals and book chapters. In 2019, he was the Head of Quality Assurance and Enhancement at the College of Education. He is now the Director of the Curriculum Transformation Unit at Unisa and the current Vice President of the Southern African Comparative and History of Education Society (SACHES).
Mr Jan Nitschke is the Director of Curriculum and Material Development at the Namibian College of Open Learning. The directorate develops new and revises existing programmes, curricula and course material, using an innovative range of open learning methodologies. Mr Nitschke leads the college’s Academic Advisory Team, which considers initiatives for programmes, learner support, research and quality assurance. He holds a Master’s degree in Social Science from Umea University, in Sweden, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of the Western Cape, in South Africa, as well as a range of other tertiary qualifications. His experience spans physics instruction, teacher training, research, quality assurance and eLearning.
Dr. Sebopelo is currently the Director of the Office of Quality at Botswana Open University (BOU) and holds a Ph.D. from Open University Malaysia (OUM). Dr. Sebopelo also acquired a Bachelor’s degree in social sciences from the University of Botswana, an MSc in Medical Sociology from the University of London, and a Master’s in Business Administration, from the Management College of South Africa. Dr. Sebopelo also holds a Certificate in Quality Assurance from The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand and the New Zealand Organisation of Quality. Dr. Sebopelo also possesses a postgraduate certificate in Quality Assurance for Higher Education from BOU. Phineas is a Quality Practitioner with experience spanning over 20 yrs. He is a qualified Quality Manager from DGQ, and a BOS ISO 9001:2000 Auditor/Lead Auditor. His quality management credentials, and experience involve setting up quality management structures, and developing quality policies and guidelines to enable self-assessments and external evaluation of the internal quality system. Within his portfolio of duties is the facilitation of institutional registration and programme accreditation with regulatory bodies.
Dr Ngepathimo Kadhila, Director of Quality Assurance at the University of Namibia, holds a PhD in Higher Education Studies from the University of the Free State; Master’s in Education and Bachelor in Education from the University of Namibia; as well as Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education from Rhodes University. He has extensively engaged with higher education management, curriculum development, teaching and learning, assessment (irrespective of mode of delivery), academic development, and research processes covering. He has proven record in higher education quality assurance, including steering, advising and supporting qualifications registration on national qualifications framework, accreditation, quality audits/reviews and curriculum development, implementation, monitoring and review. His research interest includes all these areas of practice. ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4805-4775 .
Mr Motale Nkgoang holds the position as Regional Director of the Unisa Eastern Cape region. During his tenure at Unisa, he held various positions within the university, including chairmanship of the Regional Service Quality Committee, membership within the University Quality Committee, a Steering Committee member of the Registrar’s Quality Peer Review, a Steering Committee member of the CHE Institutional Quality Audit and a former Coordinator of the Directorate: Regional Services Community of Practice groups. In addition, Mr Nkgoang is professionally associated with the Institute of Directors South Africa (IoDSA) and is also a member of the Eastern Cape HRD Council, which is chaired by the Eastern Cape MEC of Education and` it reports to The Premier of the Eastern Cape Legislature. Nkgoang holds various qualifications, including the degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of South Africa.
Other Speakers
Professor Lalendle holds a PhD in the area of Educational Administration and Leadership from Michigan State University. His focus has been on the meaning, construction, and practice of leadership in Higher Education in South Africa. He has been an active practitioner in the Higher Education Sector for over three decades. He has risen from the ranks of being a Lecturer to that of Vice-Rector in a multi-campus context of a university. He has been a student leader and a Union Leader. His accomplishments include managing complex departments in strategy, planning teaching, research, and quality assurance in a large multi-campus University.
Mr Kulobone is the Director of Marketing, Enterprise Development, and ICT at the Namibian College of Open Learning. He holds a Masters’s Degree in Management, a Masters’s Degree in Political Science, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education as well as a Bachelor of Arts. He started his career as a Secondary School teacher before joining the National Planning Commission Secretariat as a Regional Economic Planner, responsible for capital and income-generating projects for the Khomas Region, then later moved on to the Ministry of Health and Social Sciences as a Senior Researcher. He later left the Public Service and joined the Non-Governmental Organisations and Private Sector, where he held positions ranging from Manager of Programs to Chief Operations Officer responsible for Education at the Institute of Open Learning. In 2016 he joined the Namibian College of Open Learning as a Deputy Director responsible for Marketing, Human Resources, and Research Development and Quality Assurance.
Professor Peter Hitjitevi Katjavivi is a Namibian politician who has been Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia since 20 March 2015. He obtained a doctorate (DPhil) at St Antony's College of Oxford University. Prof Katjavivi was a member of the Constituent Assembly of Namibia in 1989. From 1992 to 2003 he was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Namibia, at whose foundation he had significant influence. Katjavivi was and is a member of numerous national and international educational, cultural and research organizations, including the Executive Council Member of UNESCO (1993-1997), Chairman of the Council of National Monuments (1992-2000), now National Heritage Council of Namibia and President of the Namibia Economic Policy Research Unit (since 1990). In 2003 he became Namibian Ambassador to the European Union in Brussels and in 2006 Ambassador to Berlin. He was appointed to head the National Planning Commission in 2008.
Dr. Heroldt Vekaama Murangi has served as the CEO at the Namibian College of Open Learning (NAMCOL) since 2007. With a teaching background, he worked in the Ministry of Education after Namibia's Independence in 1990. Dr. Murangi earned his Higher Education Diploma and B.Ed. Honours from the University of Namibia, an M.Ed. in Adult Education from the University of Massachusetts, USA, and a Ph.D. in Education Management, Law, and Policy from the University of Pretoria, SA, focusing on student transition in open schooling. His expertise centres on policy development in human resources, open schooling, open distance eLearning (ODeL), and strategic planning. He's instrumental in establishing partnerships in ODeL. Dr. Murangi has authored articles and book chapters in this field, consulted in ODL for Rwanda and the Gambia, and held roles in education associations. Currently, he serves on boards for the Namibian Open Learning Network Trust (NOLNet) as well as on the Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management (NIPAM) and previously chaired the Alexander Forbes Namibia Retirement.