UKZN Hosts International Kick-off Meeting for the Erasmus+ MAGNETISE Project

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) hosted the international kick-off meeting for the MAGNETISE Project (Mainstreaming Gender Equality in Sub-Saharan African Academia), bringing together academics and stakeholders from South Africa, Uganda, Belgium, and Greece. The three-day meeting took place in Durban recently.

MAGNETISE is a European Union-funded, three-year initiative that aims to support Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in sub-Saharan Africa to develop and implement policies, structures, and Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) that promote inclusion and accountability.

The project focuses on three universities in South Africa – (UKZN, Nelson Mandela University, and Rhodes University – and two in Uganda: Muni University and Makerere University. These institutions form part of a nine-member consortium that includes four European partner institutions: VIVES University of Applied Sciences, KMOP Policy Centre, ReadLab, and the University of Peloponnese. The project seeks to create systemic change through collaboration with academic staff, students, civil society, and policy stakeholders.

As Project Coordinator, UKZN plays a central leadership role in implementing the initiative and serves as the main liaison with the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).

The project is led at UKZN by Dr Boby Varghese, Head of the Centre for Academic Success in Science and Engineering (CASSE), with Professor Naven Chetty, Dean of Teaching and Learning in the College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, serving as co-investigator.

Dr Dalia Varghese, Dr Sahejna Bantho, and Dr Stella Sabi have also been actively involved since the initiative’s inception, contributing to its conceptualisation, proposal development, and ongoing implementation.

The initiative will deliver:

• five comprehensive Gender Equality Plans;
  • staff training workshops;
  • a digital knowledge hub for students;
  • community awareness campaigns;
  • national policy roundtables;
  • policy briefs; and
  • a sustainability plan to ensure long-term impact beyond the project’s duration.

During the opening session of the kick-off meeting, Boby Varghese reflected on the historical inequalities that limited access to higher education for many women in South Africa.

Dr Naziema Jappie delivered a keynote address titled: ‘Heritage and Gender Equity: A Pathway to Social Change’, emphasising the need for gender equality literacy across all institutional levels.

Dr Antoinette Damant highlighted UKZN’s commitment to social justice and staff training, while Advocate Nomthandazo Sithole stressed the importance of leadership commitment and clear regulatory frameworks.

Words: NdabaOnline

Photograph: Supplied