For the first time last week, the Durban University of Technology hosted the South African Commerce Deans Association (SACDA) Meeting at the Ritson Campus.
The conference, held over two days, (Thursday and Friday June 7, 2013), started off with a welcoming dinner on Thursday (June 6, 2013) evening at the Hotel School Restaurant and was followed by formal proceedings at the Hotel School Conference Centre on Friday.
SACDA is a voluntary association for deans of commerce faculties in public universities in South Africa. The association holds its meetings biannually in June and November in each member institution, on a rotation basis.
Nicky Dorfling, SACDA Chairperson and Business Faculty Dean at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, said the purpose of these meetings is to build relationships and strengthen networks among deans as well as to discuss topical issues in the field of commerce.
During the last meeting in Pretoria, DUT was selected to host the June 2013 meeting. The event was to be co-hosted by DUT’s Dr Rishidaw Balkaran, Executive Dean of Management Sciences Faculty, and Saleem Kharwa, Deputy Executive Dean of Accounting and Informatics Faculty.
In preparation for the event, Kharwa said, together with Dr Balkaran, he helped attendees find accommodation in Durban, organised catering and invited DUT Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Bawa and DUT’s Director of Co-Operative Education and SASCE President Shakeel Ori as guest speakers to Friday’s meeting.
As the head of the institution, Prof Bawa’s invitation was only natural, Kharwa said. The Vice-Chancellor’s address was thought-provoking, centred on the challenges presently facing the Department of Higher Education and Training and higher education institutions as well as the role of Higher Education South Africa (HESA).
Amongst the challenges facing higher education, Prof Bawa highlighted high university fees, an influx of student applications to universities in comparison with other higher education institutions and the need for universities to be locally embedded.
Ori, as an expert of co-operative education, had prepared an enlightening presentation on the importance and benefits of work-integrated learning (WIL).
Cheryl James, Chief Executive Officer of FASSET, the Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) for finance, accounting, management consulting and other financial services, was another expert invited to do a presentation. She spoke about the role of her organisation and Seta funding.
The meeting also saw members discussing issues such as changes to subsidy for commerce modules, the offering of joint degrees and the remuneration of external supervisors and assessors for Master’s and Doctoral students.
Kharwa explained that “there is a huge discrepancy about fees towards supervisors; some fees are low while some are quite high. This was important to discuss because universities who lack the capacity to supervise Master’s and Doctoral students need to outsource and some remuneration programmes are beyond the means of those universities.”
The next SACDA meeting will be held in Rhodes University in November.
Pictured: SACDA members, with the association Chairperson Nicky Dorfling (centre), at the recent SACDA meeting held on the DUT Ritson Campus.
