The first meeting of the Advisory Board for the project FOREST21 was held on 21 September 2021. The Board consists of one representative from each of the partner institutions in the project consortium. The Chair of the Board is selected annually on a rotational basis. Dr Kaluke Mawila, Campus Principal of the George Campus of the Nelson Mandela University, was nominated as the first Chair.
“I am honoured to be the first Chairperson of the FOREST21 Advisory Board”, Dr Mawila says. “My esteemed colleagues and I look forward to the opportunity to lead with, through and alongside the very best and brightest minds in academe from partner countries.”
Dr Mawila has a Doctorate in Higher Education and a Master of Arts Degree in Student Affairs Administration and has received numerous prestigious academic awards. She has extensive work experience in the higher education sector as a researcher and administrator.
FOREST21 will promote climate-smart forestry and strengthen the capacity of the South African higher education system to produce exceptional talent for climate-smart forestry. Problem-based learning techniques and its student-centric approach present opportunities for students and academics to be innovative and for new enterprises to be developed. The role of the project’s Advisory Board is to accept project plans and to guide the project team towards making a long-term impact in forestry education and industry in South Africa.
“This Project enables key strategic partnerships to be developed with industry partners for learning, research and communities of practice. I wish to thank the Advisory Board members for their commitment to steering and giving the FOREST21 Project toward accomplishing its long-term objectives”, Dr Mawila concludes.
This article appeared on FOREST21's website on 19 October 2021 - https://www.forest21.org/news
* FOREST21 is a joint project for strengthening capacity in South African higher education in forestry. The project is implemented in collaboration of five higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa that have forestry curricula or will start teaching forestry.
Promoting climate-smart forestry and entrepreneurial innovativeness in forestry education will lead to job creation as well as mitigation of climate change. FOREST21 is implemented through reforming the curricula in forestry entrepreneurship education to equip graduates with problem-solving skills, an entrepreneurial mindset and climate-smart thinking.
Problem-based learning (PBL) methods and students-centred teaching are in the centre of the project. Students learn through solving real-life business challenges on the field in international teams. FOREST21 requires close collaboration with the industrial sector as well as teachers and the managerial staff in partner HEIs to find the practices in the local context.
FOREST21 is co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.