DUT researchers, academics, students and external academics gathered at the First Community Engagement Monitoring and Evaluation Symposium held at the Coastlands Ridge Hotel, recently.

The symposium was organised by Dr Ivan Govender and funded by the National Research Foundation community engagement grant. The aim of the symposium was to look at innovative ways to reduce the knowledge gap and propose a way forward for a more cohesive outcome focused community engagement agenda.

Some of the speakers, included DUT’s DVC: Research, Innovation and Engagement, Professor Sibusiso Moyo, Prof Oliver Mtapuri (UKZN), Prof J Reddy, Mr Crispin Hemson, and Ms Chipo Mutambo (Zoe-Life), who presented insightful discourses from a continental (Africa), institutional, policy, programme and project perspectives, highlighting the challenges and a way forward to enhance stakeholder collaborations for effective community engagement.

During the plenary session, delegates discussed collectively developing and managing a monitoring and evaluation system. Delegates were in agreement that despite the numerous benefits of monitoring and evaluation, little progress was made to fully utilise monitoring and evaluation for developing sustainable universities and resilient communities. Also, discussions around developing possible indicators to be included in a community engagement monitoring and evaluation model, was also held at the event.

Pictured: Delegates at the First Community Engagement Monitoring and Evaluation Symposium.

Tinashe Mutero