Pragasen Reddy, DUT Arts and Design Faculty Officer, was recently invited to form part of a small working group that would review the Best Practice for Faculty Administration in Higher Education Institutions document. The working group is comprised of eight representatives from universities across South Africa such as UKZN, VUT, UJ and UFS.
The group was formed as part of the Higher Education Faculty Administrators Forum’s (HEFAF) decision for the current published Best Practice document to be revisited.
Sinegugu Ndlovu of the DUTLINK had a q&a with Reddy and this is what he had to say:
Sinegugu: You must be excited about your appointment to the working group? What does this mean to you?
Pragasen: Yes, very much so. It means that we are doing something good at DUT with regards to our practices and procedures. Being recognised externally, I felt I could contribute significantly towards this “best practice” document.
Sinegugu: How did you end up being invited to serve on the working group?
Pragasen: By virtue of my experience (24yrs) in the specialised areas of student administration (admissions, registration, examinations and graduation) networking as well as participating and contributing at the many conferences/ annual general meetings since 2004.
Sinegugu: What role you will be playing in the working group?
Pragasen: Our role was to review the existing “best practice” document in its entirety, interrogating its content, editing, addition and deletion of information.
Sinegugu: When does the document review start and how long will the process last?
Pragasen: We had our first meeting on Thursday, 25 February 2016 at Birchwoods Hotel and Conference Centre, Gauteng. The first draft will be circulated to this working group for further input and comments and should be finalised within a month or two.
Sinegugu: What does your appointment mean for DUT or your Faculty?
Pragasen: By being invited to be part of this working group, it means that DUT, amongst other established educational institutions, is being recognised for administering good practices. It also provided me with an opportunity to see where DUT and my Faculty stand with other institutions administratively.
Sinegugu: Who will the group’s recommendations be submitted to?
Pragasen: The draft will be tabled at the HEFAF AGM/conference. The conference is scheduled to take place from 19 to 20 May 2016 in Cape Town. Once approved, it will be printed and circulated to all parties concerned.
Sinegugu: Is there anything else you’d like to mention?
Pragasen: I’d like to acknowledge the assistance and support from my Executive Dean, Dr Rene Smith, as well as my loyal staff in the faculty office. Also, the assistance from the DUT Registrar’s Office, ITSS and fellow Faculty officers is acknowledged. In my opinion, DUT and my faculty is administratively sound, albeit certain areas which need improvement.
