The Durban University of Technology (DUT) commenced its 2025 Open Week on Wednesday, 07 May 2025 at Steve Biko Campus, Fred Crookes Sports Centre in Durban. This three-day event which is spearheaded by the Student Recruitment unit and is set to end on Friday, 09 May 2025.
The DUT Open Week is an annual initiative which aims to provide high school learners from Grade 9 to Grade 12 with valuable insights into the university’s programmes, faculties and departments.
The opening day saw hundreds of learners from in and outside of the KwaZulu-Natal Province engaging with various DUT departments/units in their offerings while responding to questions with detailed information.
Mr Alex Mdletshe, DUT’s Student Recruitment Manager extended his gratitude to all DUT academic departments, student services, outside stakeholders and his team for supporting this programme. He also thanked the schools for allowing their teachers and learners to participate in this empowering initiative. Furthermore, he mentioned that one of the best highlights so far is the first-day turnout which has surpassed their expectations.
“This year’s opening was quite impressive. We had more numbers compared to previous years. We have received (30) schools and around 2500 learners. The credit must go to the DUT departments, staff members and everyone for their continuous support to this initiative. I also encourage learners to take full advantage of this opportunity,’’ he added.
During the engagement with learners one of the exhibiters from the Emergency Medical Care Rescue (EMCR) Conny Kwaso, noticed that most learners assume that EMCR is a fire fighters’ course of which is not the case. Therefore, she emphasised on the importance of this initiative because there are lot of misconceptions from the learners when choosing their fields of study due to lack of information.
One of the teachers from Velabahleke High School, Ms Nontobeko Ngcobo said learners’ benefit a lot from this initiative, especially the Grade nine learners because it helps them to correctly choose subjects that aligns with what they want to study in universities.
Open Air School learner, Slindokuhle Nxumalo said it was an eye-opening experience. She discovered that many course that are offered at DUT that she did not know about.
“It was so exciting; I got to ask all the questions of the things that I was unsure about, like the requirements, years of study and the types of jobs I will get into once I finish the qualification,’’ she explained.
The DUT Open Week is still underway, with the institution expecting thousands more learners from various schools to attend and to explore the wide range of courses offered at DUT. The DUT Open Week will continue over the next two days scheduled for Thursday, 08 May 2025 and Friday, 09 May 2025.
Pictured: Learners from various high schools within KwaZulu-Natal at the DUT Open Week with DUT’s Registrar, Dr Maditsane Nkonoane.
Photographer: S’bonelo Dlamini
Vukani Langa
