Lekgotla day 3: Final thoughts, and forging ahead

The third day of the Principal and Vice-Chancellor’s Lekgotla concluded on a positive note, with heads of portfolios, college leadership, the university’s management committee and extended management providing an overview of their progress towards bolstering the university’s strategic pillars.

Unisa’s management corps discussing and presenting on the status of their portfolios in tandem with each strategic pillar of the university

In addition, the heads of portfolios pledged to cascade given tasks, inclusive of the catalytic niche areas, to be an embodied reflection of each member of the university at all levels.

Furthermore, the university’s Strategic Plan 2021 – 2025 was thoroughly reviewed on its progress in meeting the long-term targets of the Unisa 2030 strategy.

In essence, managers were randomly grouped, with each group assigned one pillar for further discussion and deliberation, based on the following:

• Analysis of the key performance indicators and target-setting for the next five years
• Refining targets to reflect institutional priorities and anticipated growth trajectories
• Identifying the most significant risks faced by each portfolio in implementing the university’s strategy going forward
• Considering how each portfolio can best mitigate these risks

Strategic trajectory

The university exists to ensure that students are empowered as participants in the global arena, who can engage with their professors and lecturers and co-construct knowledge while changing their own lives and those of society.

Professor Puleng LenkaBula, Unisa Principal and Vice-Chancellor (VC), noted the undergraduate attrition rate, which, she said, “requires us to think broadly and account for this margin. In a country fraught with many social ills, we cannot afford to let these students fall through the cracks, because they are the next change agents of society, and the knowledge gained from Unisa must help them transform and shape society even more.”

Unisa Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Puleng LenkaBula

Continuing, the VC noted the concerns surrounding students funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), adding that they need to be resourced and capacitated in digital skills, provided with career counselling, and given knowledge on how to navigate the open, distance and e-learning landscape. “We therefore have to locate and elevate the university’s resources toward helping them succeed academically, as they are our primary stakeholders,” she added.

Concluding the three-day Lekgotla, the VC thanked all portfolios who participated for ensuring that the university continues on its course to much greater altitudes, and that the academic agenda remains central in uplifting students, who will become the next generation of scientists, leaders, entrepreneurs and academics, continuously shaping the future in the service of humanity.

* By Godfrey Madibane, Acting Journalist, Department of Institutional Advancement

** Photography by Shooheima Champion, Multimedia Centre