This year, 2017, in his last year as the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg (UJ), Prof Ihron Rensburg will deliver the annual Nelson Mandela Education Legacy Lecture. The lecture, which will take place on Monday, 18 September 2017 at the Kingsway Campus’ Council Chambers, is organised to honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela in terms of his writings, speeches and actions.

Prof Rensburg’s address will be titled: The meaning of decolonising knowledge and universities – problems and opportunities.

The lecture is built on the frequently cited comment in Long Walk to Freedom that “(e)ducation is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor; that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, hat a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”

The Nelson Mandela Education Legacy Lecture encourages conversations on current and future challenges in education. The lecture is nurtured by the South African Education Research Association (SAERA), following up on Nelson Mandela’s inspirations, leadership and visions.

Date: Monday, 18 September 2017
Time: 18:00
Venue: Council Chambers, Madibeng Building, Auckland Park Kingsway Campus
RSVP: Mr Collen Maepa (contact details below).

The previous presenters of this prestigious lecture were Prof Crain Soudien (2014), Prof Pumla Madikizela Gobodo (2015), and Prof Catherine Odora Hoppers (2016).