The Durban University of Technology (DUT) Ecotourism lecturers recently attended two international conferences. Mr Nkululeko Zondi attended the 2nd BRICS Research Conference held at the India University of Kota while Ms Janice Naidoo and Professor Dumsile Hlengwa attended the Southeast Asian Conference on Education (SEACE) 2023 at the Singapore Management University.
The 2nd BRICS Research Conference was themed “Growth and sustainability of livelihoods in the BRICS countries: knowledge sharing in social justice, governance, and multilateralism.” The Southeast Asian Conference on Education (SEACE) 2023 encourages academics and scholars to meet and exchange ideas and views in a forum stimulating respectful dialogue.
The SEACE 2023 had several themes which included, “Teaching and learning; Learning experiences and learner diversity; Teaching experiences, pedagogy, and practice; Assessment theories and methodologies; Curriculum design and development; Education and difference; Interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary education; Educational structures; Community and society; Language and culture; and Psychology, mind, and brain”.
Zondi, Hlengwa and Naidoo carefully elaborated on the importance of the DUT community’s participation in international travel and conferences.
Zondi shared his experience on the conference, and he believes it is growing economically and socially and it provides a platform where South Africa can learn from the emerging economies.
“During the conference and the trip, I noticed and learnt that people are working very hard out there. There is minimal reliance on the government and therefore, the economy is in the hands of normal citizens. I think the participation of DUT researchers in this forum will yield not only just research outputs but knowledge and skills that can be transferred to our local communities through community engagement projects,” he said.
Zondi covered the topic of the significance of research and academic disclosure. He explained that research is important as it identifies and defines problems, especially societal ones. Through research findings, these problems can be understood and then develop solutions. Zondi urged researchers to collaborate and share their research findings; through knowledge sharing, as this can assist in growing and developing the country.
Prof Dumsile Hlengwa highlighted her experience and said that travelling can feedforward to teaching and research.
“You get exposed to various technologies including robots collecting dishes in the hotel, fast-tracked payments at supermarkets where you scan your own shopping, pay and go out; cleaner cities to highlight the pollution plight in the case of SA cities; networking with people from various parts of the globe; and realizing that as SA universities we are actually doing well comparatively speaking,” said Prof Hlengwa
Naidoo added that attendance of international conferences enhances the global visibility of DUT, it also provides opportunities for collaboration in research and for researchers to share their experiences and learn from one another. Research creates new knowledge and it contributes to improving the existing knowledge. She added that it also assists people to understand and explain the world and find solutions to real-life problems.
She then said that DUT’s partnership with industry stakeholders is critical, as they are preparing learners for employment. Suggesting that knowledge and skills imparted must be applicable to what the industry requires.
The trio emphasized the importance of collaboration between universities and industries, that universities are social institutions and they are not operating in a vacuum.
Pictured: DUT Midlands Ecotourism lectures; Professor Dumsile Hlengwa, Mr Nkululeko Zondi and Mrs Janice Naidoo.
Photographer: Vusi Dlamini
Nondumiso Maphumulo
