23 July 2025
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Story Onthatile Tikoe and Vuyelwa Mbebe
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Photo Stephen Collett
From left to right: Dr Max Price (former Vice-Chancellor, University of Cape Town), Prof Pamela Dube (Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Central University of Technology), Prof Hester C. Klopper (Vice-Chancellor and Principal, University of the Free State), Dr Phethiwe Matutu (CEO, Universities South Africa), and Prof Paul Green (Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning, Sol Plaatje University) at the 2025 UFS Thought Leader Panel Discussion.
The University of the Free State (UFS) recently hosted its seventh annual Thought-Leader Panel Discussion titled “Reimagining Higher Education for Employability and Sustainability.” Held in collaboration with the 2025 Free State Arts Festival, the event convened distinguished voices in higher education - Dr Max Price, Prof Pamela Dube, Prof Paul Green, and Dr Phethiwe Matutu- to explore curriculum reform and decolonisation, Work-integrated learning (WIL), financial access and the sustainability, and public-private partnerships.
Facilitated by UFS Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Hester C. Klopper, the discussion centred on how universities can align academic transformation with employability while addressing systemic inequality and embracing innovation.
Reframing curriculum through decolonisation
Panellists agreed that meaningful curriculum reform must centre African identities, lived experiences, and knowledge systems. Rather than rejecting Western thought, the goal is to recalibrate academic frameworks to honour African epistemologies.
Prof Green emphasised: “Decolonisation must re-centre indigenous knowledge systems without falling into the trap of intellectual tokenism.” He called for co-created, context-rooted curricula that uphold academic integrity.
In response, Dr Price noted the need for critical engagement: “Universities must embrace indigenous knowledge while subjecting it to evidence-based inquiry to retain academic credibility.”
Prof Klopper described curriculum transformation as “a generational project that requires authentic leadership and sustained political will.”
Work-integrated learning: bridging education and employability
With high graduate unemployment despite increased access to education, panellists championed WIL as a vital tool for bridging the gap between theory and practice.
“Many graduates feel unemployable because their studies are too theoretical. The gap between learning and doing needs to be bridged deliberately through curriculum design,” said Prof Dube. She further stressed equity in access: “WIL should not be a privilege for the few. It must be mainstreamed and scaled to reflect real-life challenges in local economies.”
Prof Green added, “where WIL is formally integrated into the curriculum, students enter the workplace better prepared - they understand not only the theory, but the rhythm of professional life.”
Sustainable student funding and the future of NSFAS
Concerns around the long-term viability of the NSFAS model featured prominently in the conversation. While the scheme has been pivotal in enabling access to higher education, panellists noted that it falls short in covering the full cost of student needs such as living expenses, transport, and connectivity.
“We cannot continue to rely solely on the state to carry the weight of education funding. There needs to be a reconfiguration of financial models that are not just reactive but future-proof,” emphasised Prof Klopper.
Prof Dube highlighted the broader impact of financial hardship: “Financial access is a matter of justice and retention. Students drop out not just because of fees, but because they cannot live and learn with dignity.”
Dr Price called for improved trust in NSFAS operations: “Greater transparency and efficiency in funding disbursement can restore confidence in the system and ensure that no deserving student is left behind.”
Public-private partnerships as a pathway to innovation
The panel endorsed a closer collaboration between universities and industry, with a caution that partnerships must enhance, not compromise, the public mission of education. Prof Klopper underscored the need for strategic engagement: “We need partnerships that go beyond sponsorship. They must help shape curricula, invest in talent pipelines, and support research that tackles societal problems.”
“There is great potential in industry-university collaboration, but we must ensure universities don’t become captive to market forces. The public mandate of education must remain intact,” added Prof Green.
Prof Dube highlighted that if done right, public-private partnerships can help build bridges between academic theory and economic opportunity.
A shared vision for higher education
The panel discussion emphasised that the future of South African higher education hinges on a collective commitment to challenge inherited systems, foster experiential learning, secure sustainable funding, and enable inclusive partnerships.
By reimagining curricula rooted in justice, embedding real-world learning, and promoting ethical collaboration, universities can prepare students not only to graduate - but to thrive in a dynamic, global future.