Kelly Chibale, professor of organic chemistry at the University of Cape Town, discusses the urgency of universities to consider higher education from a perspective of sustainability and meaningful contribution as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He argues that the greatest challenges facing South African, and African universities more broadly, is the lack of necessary infrastructure, including systems and processes, that hinder their ability to extensively contribute and collaborate both within the continent and globally.
Professor Chibale also highlights the need to reassess the lack of critical mass skills and make the higher education environment in South Africa more appealing by incentivizing collaborative projects and increasing domestic investments in academic research.
Professor Chibale hopes that through improvements in these areas, South African researchers and academics will be able to optimise their work in focused fields and gain international recognition and respect through their contributions to emerging areas of research.