Top 300 in 10 Years. a Vision for the Future of Ukzn

10 years in and 10 years into the future…Changing spaces, new places and a better UKZN

Ten years old and UKZN is already creating ripples in the pond of Higher Education in South Africa. Highlights of the University’s achievements include being the third most productive university in terms of research and implementing a new requirement for first year students to pass an IsiZulu module. In the words of Pierre De Vos, a South African law scholar, “I think it a brilliant idea for a University to require all first year students to study the dominant neglected indigenous language of the region in which the university is situated”. Such initiatives promote a sense of cultural awareness and appreciation among students, especially those who would have otherwise spent most of their lives speaking one language.

Looking to the future, UKZN has so much ahead. With the recent establishment of the IJAHE (International Journal of African Higher Education), and the ground breaking progress that the K-RITH (KwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV) is making, UKZN is poised to be a powerhouse in influencing the academic, social and dare I say economic future of South Africa.

However, in as much as UKZN is making strides at a national and international level, as a student my views are firmly rooted in the day to day activities occurring on campus and within the student community. The Oxford dictionary defines the word ‘vision’ as the “the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom”. There is much that a student may imagine for the future of their university whether it be with or without wisdom. Nonetheless, it will be a vision - one that could be relevant to the progress of the school.

As students, progress, marks and rankings are the basis on which we measure everything; our entire academic life is based upon this. Therefore, the fact that UKZN is placed within the top 3% of the World’s Universities by the Times Higher Education Rankings among others, is a source of pride for us. And it can only get better from here. In 10 years, it is entirely possible for UKZN to be in the top 300 universities of the world. This would place the institution in the company of multiple respected national and international universities i.e. ‘rubbing shoulders with the best of