This week we talk to the incoming Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town – Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng. We discuss some of her strategic plans for the university when she assumes office, particularly in the areas of transformation and the university’s role in Africa to deepen its links with the continent. We discuss some of the barriers hindering women’s advancement in leadership, such as being judged against a different set of criteria in comparison to men, and competing under circumstances where the goalposts keep shifting. We underscore the need to change limiting perspectives around academic subjects like mathematics and science and instead emphasise the usefulness if these disciplines in society to encourage people to study these fields, which have a profound impact on the world. Prof. Phakeng shares details about the adopt-a-learner foundation that she established to help students from townships and rural areas to attain tertiary education. Tune in for more…

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