HELTASA (UN)CONFERENCE 2024

 HELTASA (UN)CONFERENCE 2024

The HELTASA (Un)Conference 2024 (Higher Education Learning Teaching Association), co-hosted by the University of Limpopo and the University of Venda, aimed to address key challenges and opportunities in Southern African higher education. Under the theme “Under the Baobab Tree,” it fosters holistic, innovative approaches for inclusiveness, equity, and sustainability. Participants were invited to share experiences and insights, celebrating HELTASA’s 20th anniversary from the 26th of November to the 29th of November 2024.

The Designing for Social Justice Partnership (DSJP) team were in attendance and were able to engage participants in attendance with their ideas around (Un)Conference. 

Reflection from Esai: 

Shortly after the UCT TLC conference we headed to Limpopo for the Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of South Africa (HELTASA) annual conference. We held a two part workshop looking at student-staff partnership 10 years on from Rhodes Must Fall and developing a collective theory of change across tertiary institutions. We created a lot of space for reflection and conversation which was very well received. 

We thoroughly enjoyed the other presentations and meeting colleagues from other institutions. It was a rare opportunity to learn from each other face to face. We had the privilege of sharing our thoughts on the current student experience as we hold the roles of both student and researcher. The conference offered opportunities for growth in both roles.

HELTASA was an opportunity for the DSJP team to engage with SSP and share the work that the team has embarked on. The conference was a success.