Turn universities into hothouses of thinking

Deputy vice-chancellor Professor Crain Soudien called on universities to create environments that incubate "good knowledge" that can be put at the disposal of communities.

Opening the board meeting of the South African Higher Education Community Engagement Forum (SAHECEF), a body made up of representatives from all 23 South African institutions of higher education, Soudien said that creating "hothouses" for thinking and deliberation was deeply important.

It is the base on which universities become good and relevant to society, he added.

The meeting on 2 September was hosted by the Institutional Planning Department, and will be deliberated on in the SAHECEF's working groups and its planned conference in November, reports chairperson Dr Jerome Slamat.