Durban in November: HELTASA conference

Durban has an excellent bird park - do not miss this attraction while there

Registration and the call for abstracts are open for the Higher Education, Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa (HELTASA) conference that will be held at the Coastlands Umhlanga Hotel and Convention Centre in Durban, between 21 and 24 November 2017. 

The event will be hosted by the Durban University of Technology and the theme for this year's conference is: Higher Education well-being: Transcending boundaries, re-framing excellence. Sub-themes are: 'Greater purpose of higher education; access and parity of participation; reframing student success; enriching the curriculum; and knowledge in the academy. All abstracts must focus on the linking of theory and practice and its connection to higher education well-being. I am sure these challenging topics and the link between theory and practice will ensure a very high standard and stimulating discussions, as previous HELTASA conferences are proof of. 


Registration is open and early bird registration (that is costing R4500) ends 30 June 2017 after which standard registration will cost R5000. Registration closes on 30 August. 

In addition to the pre-conference workshops, this conference will also host oral presentations, poster presentations, critical dialogue sessions and flipped paper sessions (discussions on completed or draft papers). Abstracts for all of these categories are invited and the closing date is 31 May. 

Keynote speakers include Prof Bal Chandra Luitel from the Kathmandu University, Prof Yusef Waghid from the University of Stellenbosch and Prof Stephanie Allain from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Most of us do not need a second invitation to visit the warm waters of the beautiful hibiscus and dolphin coasts of KwaZuluNatal. If you can get yourself away from the beech you can visit uShaka marine world or go bungy jumping from the roof of the Moses Mabhida stadium. The oldest surviving botanical garden is also worth a visit and our favourite is the Umgeni River Bird Park with more than 300 species, a packed programme and cheap enough to visit with the family.