Mobility Agreement Signed with Leiden University

Mobility Agreement Signed with Leiden University

UKZN’s School of Social Sciences has finalised a student mobility agreement with Leiden University in The Netherlands.

Dean and Head of School Professor Vivian Ojong and Professor Maheshvari Naidu, liaison officer for international and global partnerships within the School, worked closely with Professor Walter Nkwi and Professor Mirjam de Bruin of Leiden to finalise the terms of the mobility agreement. 

This momentous agreement allows a cohort of second-year Humanities and Social Science students from Leiden University to spend a semester at UKZN in the School of Social Sciences, and undertake modules from choices in anthropology, political science, public policy, gender and history. 

The students will also take a compulsory module in isiZulu as both part of their language requirements for Leiden and their intercultural experience in South Africa, especially within KwaZulu-Natal. 

Said Ojong: ‘The agreement is the culmination of negotiations with colleagues from Leiden and is part of our School’s strategic vision for internalisation. We anticipate that this will be an ongoing relationship with a group of students spending a semester at UKZN every year. We are especially excited that the students will add isiZulu to their academic programme as part of their Leiden credit bearing modules.’ 

Naidu said the long-term aim was to make the mobility two-way and create avenues which allowed the School of Social Science students to spend a semester at Leiden, so that this was a mutually beneficial arrangement. ‘We will look at various funding avenues to realise this goal. We are also keen that these kinds of partnerships are egalitarian and not asymmetrical.’ 

Leiden students will arrive at UKZN in January 2024 to begin the first semester. 

Words: NdabaOnline
Photograph: Supplied