PAVING THE WAY TO EXCELLENCE IN OUR TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY
During 2024, we continued to explore new ways to support student and staff diversity and transformation.
Using tools such as the transformation dashboard, we comprehensively and coherently monitor transformation initiatives and milestones across the university.
We have formal governance structures and student- and staff-led programmes to ensure the university makes progress against its transformation targets.
The formal structures responsible for transformation oversight are the Transformation Oversight Committee, the People and Culture and Employment Equity Committee, and the Student Life Oversight Committee. All three are committees of Council.
We also have two transformation advisory bodies, the Institutional Forum Council on transformation matters and the Student Diversity and Transformation Committee focuses on transformation in the student environment.
In addition, we encourage staff and students to create a diverse student population and student leadership through programmes on multilingualism, gender, sexuality, cultural intelligence and disability. The transformation directives of the Council apply to these efforts.
Student Life and People and Culture collaborated in joint campaigns and programmes on the NWU values, and we used the annual NWU Media and Organisational Citizenship Behaviour Recognition Awards to celebrate the contributions of staff and students who embody the NWU values.
The 2024 awards were part of the NWU 20 Years of Greatness celebration and focused on the contribution of staff who have been building the NWU culture for 20 years.
Members of our senior management team are part of various sectoral transformation initiatives such as the USAf Transformation Strategy Group and the Transformation Managers’ Forum. One of the most visible NWU transformation ambassadors is Prof Sibusiso Chalufu, who served on the USAf Conference Advisory Committee that organised the3rd Higher Education Conference in 2024 and was invited to be part of the Higher Education Leadership and Management (HELM) programme and the Reference Group for the Student Affairs and Student Success (SASS).
The NWU is systematically transforming and renewing the curriculum, using strategies that include decolonising and Africanising the curriculum and support work-integrated learning and service learning.
The NWU is making good progress in implementing multilingualism in the academic environment. In 2024, we expanded interpreting services on the Vanderbijlpark and Mahikeng campuses, provided extended translation services and implemented the BAQONDE project to boost the use of African languages in education in South Africa. We also trained academic advisors, supplemental instructors and tutors on multilingual approaches to teaching and learning.
Staff and students participated enthusiastically in initiatives on gender, language, race and diversity. Gender Awareness Week activities included a gender art exhibition and panel discussion, while Race and Diversity Week embraced art, cultural, music, poetry and dance. Among the highlights were the Boeresport and Indigenous Games for students.
The active involvement of locally based SMMEs in our purchasing and contracting activities supports local economic growth and broader socio-economic transformation.
The NWU’s Preferential procurement Strategy prioritises the involvement of local SMMEs in procurement tenders. Community liaison officers (CLOs) on each campus help implement this strategy and facilitate the inclusion of local SMMEs as subcontractors on large construction projects.
The CLOs also work with the university’s supplier development team to manage labour reporting and other compliance matters. In addition, two social facilitation companies engage with communities on the NWU’s behalf.
During 2024, we updated our dedicated database of local SMMEs and organised workshops for SMMEs on topics such as Construction Industry Development Board grading, compiling occupational health and safety (OHS) files, and completing tender documents. Local SMME participation is a standard requirement for tenders, especially in construction and services.
A specialist supplier development officer oversaw the growth of local suppliers and facilitated their involvement in university contracts. Ten vetted local contractors were added to a panel for minor construction projects under R1.5 million.
Transformation will remain a priority for the NWU for many years to come as we continue embedding a unitary institutional culture and a unique NWU way of life that supports our strategy and speaks of care, equality and fairness for all.
In taking transformation to the next level, our executive team has selected 11 key strategic priority areas of focus for transformation. These are transformation in the staffing environment; the student environment; governance systems; the Digital Business Strategy; teaching and learning; research and innovation; community engagement; procurement; communication; strategic partnerships; and internationalisation and globalisation.
At the NWU, transformation is closely linked to justice, culture, performance indicators, communal wellbeing, excellence, relevance, and to being responsive to environmental and political changes, as well as to the current needs of the communities we serve.
We have identified ten key transformation goals to pursue, monitor and achieve: Diversity, Access, Alignment, Redress, Equity, Resource Allocation, Increased Unity, Student Experience, Success and Quality. Achieving these goals requires clear, measurable and well-communicated strategies, plans and projects, supported by a purposeful and collective effort from the entire NWU community. These plans are outlined in the Annual Performance Plan and in faculty and departmental operational plans.
The ongoing management and monitoring of the transformation agenda is guided by the University’s Code of Ethics and takes place in a constructive and consultative manner.
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INTEGRATED ANNUAL REPORT | 2024