Inaugural lecture by Professor Hardman and other updates

Dear colleagues and students

Professor Joanne Hardman will present her inaugural lecture as part of the University of Cape Town's (UCT) Inaugural Lecture series on Wednesday, 19 August at 18:00. Read more about this and other recent developments on campus.

1. Inaugural lecture by Professor Joanne Hardman (Faculty of Humanities)

Professor Hardman will deliver her inaugural lecture, "From rote to revolution: Reimagining pedagogy for schooling in crisis", on Wednesday, 19 August 2026 at 18:00 SAST in Lecture Theatre 1, Neville Alexander Building, lower campus.

In her lecture, Professor Hardman will examine how education must adapt to a rapidly changing world shaped by generative artificial intelligence and new ways of learning. Drawing on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, she will challenge traditional approaches that place greater emphasis on curriculum coverage than on meaningful learning and development. She will advocate for a pedagogy that strengthens critical reasoning and prepares learners to respond to complex challenges, including climate change, inequality and social injustice.

Professor Hardman is a professor of educational psychology in UCT's School of Education and a research fellow at the University of Bristol. She has published more than 55 scholarly works and several widely used textbooks, and her research has contributed significantly to teaching and learning in South Africa. Her excellence in teaching has been recognised through the UCT Distinguished Teacher Award and a national commendation from the Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of South Africa.

• Read the full VC Desk: Upcoming UCT inaugural lectures: August 2026.

• Register to attend the lecture.

2. UCT to host THE World Academic Summit 2026

As announced in October 2025, the UCT community is reminded that the Times Higher Education (THE) World Academic Summit (WAS) 2026 will be held on the African continent for the first time ever from 29 September to 1 October 2026. The summit will bring together senior leaders from across higher education, government and industry under the theme, "Knowledge, justice and futures: Universities in the age of intelligence". UCT will host the summit in partnership with the University of Bristol and THE.

• View the summit's programme.

The summit will provide a platform for global and African perspectives on the future of higher education, with discussions focusing on the role of universities in addressing social, technological and environmental change. Key themes include the future university, universities and society, equitable global collaboration, and ethical artificial intelligence. The programme also places a strong focus on African and Global South perspectives, innovation and entrepreneurship as well as the voices of emerging scholars.

The summit aligns with UCT's Strategy 2030 and its commitment to producing knowledge that is inclusive, impactful and responsive to society's most pressing challenges. The dedicated UCT feature page provides further information.

3. Faculty Council nominations close on Friday, 14 August 2026

Thinking about representing your faculty? There's still time to put your name forward.

Faculty Council nominations for the 2026 elections close on 14 August 2026, making this your final opportunity to become part of a representative structure that advocates for students and contributes to decision-making within your faculty.

Want to learn more before deciding to run? Join the Faculty Council general information session to learn more about the role, the nomination process and what it means to serve on the Faculty Council.

Date: Thursday, 13 August 2026

Time: 18:00-19:00

Platform: Microsoft Teams

Visit the Linktree to access the nomination forms, election regulations and other important election resources.

The Students' Representative Council (SRC) nominations remain open until 21 August 2026, giving you another opportunity to get involved in student leadership.

4. ICTS scheduled maintenance on Sunday, 16 August

The UCT community is advised to note that Sunday, 16 August 2026 will be an ICTS scheduled maintenance slot from 09:00 to 17:00. Unless advised to the contrary, do not expect any on-premise ICT services to be available for the duration of the maintenance slot. Cloud-based services (including Amathuba, email, Microsoft 365 services, and ServiceNow) are not impacted and can still be accessed.

Please remember to consult the scheduled ICTS maintenance slots page for more information, including the reasons for regular monthly maintenance and to assist with planning any teaching, conferences, meetings, etc that require ICT services.

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