UCT GSB partners with CNBC Africa for Future of Education Summit

The University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB) has partnered with CNBC Africa and Forbes Africa as a key sponsor of the annual Future of Education Summit, which will take place on Thursday, 29 July. Hosted virtually for the second consecutive year, this year’s summit, themed "Redefining the Future of Education", will explore how the pandemic has forced educators to reassess the purpose of education, as well as whether education is currently meeting the skills requirements of the 21st century.

Through a series of insightful discussions and interviews with education and tech experts from around the world, the summit will unpack the challenges the sector faces, explore innovative and creative solutions, and set about redefining the purpose of education.

The UCT GSB’s Director, Dr Catherine Duggan, who will be participating in a panel discussion on designing a 21st century curriculum that can close the skills gap and build capacity, believes that the future of education in Africa must provide opportunities for continuous learning. “While much of the current focus is on young people – as it should be – we cannot limit our conversations to people who are still in full-time education or just joining the workforce. We must also create lifelong learning opportunities for people at all stages of their careers: to introduce them to changing technologies and landscapes, to help them work in and manage high-performing teams, and to provide them with broad perspectives, strategic thinking, and confidence in themselves as leaders. At the UCT GSB we are integrating new technologies with our deep understanding of issues such as leadership and doing business in complex environments to create relevant learning and development opportunities for everyone from new hires to seasoned executives.”

Commenting on the partnership with CNBC Africa, Duggan says “At the UCT GSB we are committed to telling the real story of African business. As the only pan-African news channel on the continent, with a reach of 48 countries and a unique blend of international and African perspectives and insights, CNBC Africa is an ideal partner as we share our unique insights into the opportunities, the innovations, and the challenges that we see on the continent.”

Kumeshnee West, Director of Executive Education at the UCT GSB, will also be at the summit, discussing the topic of innovative leadership in a knowledge-intensive economy. “For business leaders and executives especially, leadership development can really be a gamechanger,” she explains. “Now more than ever, it is essential for organisations to have an ambitious learning and development strategy in place, which is linked directly to the strategy of their business and what they want to achieve in the future."

Other discussions at the Future of Education Summit will explore the purpose of education in the 21st century, and whether lifelong learning is becoming more imperative in the new world of work and skills development.

“Education has been disrupted significantly and innovation is an important pathway to the future. It’s an opportune time for us to redefine the purpose of education so that our future generations are geared to serve the future needs of humanity. I am looking forward to this year’s discussions that will be strengthening the foundations of our industry,” says Rakesh Wahi, Founder of the Future of Education Summit, and Co-Founder, ABN Group.

Sponsors include Vodacom Business, Eiffel Corp, The University of Johannesburg, Vuma, Transnational Academic Group, Lancaster University: Ghana, as well as Curtin University: Dubai.

The summit is free of charge and attendees can register via the platform Hopin here.