Day 3: Wednesday 18th September 2019
Contributor: Taurai Mereki
Editing: Maurine Chadi Kalume
On the third day, the morning session began with a presentation on GLU online academy; popularly referred to as MOOCs and tutoring via skype by Dr. Edlira Xhafa and a presentation from by Mrs Aulline Chapisa the Programmes Coordinator of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) Zimbabwe office. This was followed by vibrant afternoon session’s presentations by three alumni from Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria who reflected on the fourth Industrial revolution and how it affects changes of work and governance in Africa. The last discussion of the day was led by Taurai Mereki and it highlighted on why there was need to have a Regional Africa alumni network.
The first session was a skype conference on GLU Online Academy: MOOCs and tutoring by Dr. Edlira Xhafa and was facilitated by Prof Praveen Jha of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The session generated a lot of interest from the audience and it proved to be a huge success. Some of the key points raised on MOOCs were;
- Registration is done online and it is easy and possible to join as an individual for courses that are starting in November 2019 and alumni were welcome to participate as both learners, local tutors or partners.
- Various models and efforts which were offered by some tutors and partners were highlighted and alumni were encouraged to innovate and adopt any approach that suits their respective contexts.
- Participants were keen to understand a number of issues; for example if scholarships were available, how they could they deal with inadequate infrastructure including erratic or non-availability of internet connectivity including strategies on how to mobilize others to participate.
- The consensus was that alumni needed to participate first and learn the ‘ropes’, and then innovate on the basis of their firsthand experience in terms of guiding others. Essentially, all agreed that it was prudent to be realistic in terms of ambitions in the design of the kind of project to be undertaken through the MOOCs.
The FES Programmes Coordinator Mrs. Aulline Chapisa was next to present on the topic ‘The FES as local partner in trade union work’ and the session was chaired by Alumni Mpho Shadreck Maruping from the Directorate of Public Service Management, Botswana. Key highlights were that, FES is not a donor but a partner and that there was a huge difference between being a donor and a partner. Donors push their own agenda but FES as a partner strengthens its relationship with the trade unions. This is a non-profit making organisation routed in public/interest/democratic that partners civic and political institutions to achieve democratic leadership. The FES Zimbabwe office was opened in 1982 and has been in partnership with the ZCTU ever since. FES funded programmes are meant to build cohesion among all trade unions and all political parties through a partnership founded on democratic values.
The theme of the afternoon session following lunch break was “Reflections on Experiences across Africa: The fourth Industrial revolution, changes of work and governance in Africa” and was chaired by Ntandoyenkosi Dumani of FES Zimbabwe. The three alumni namely Daniel Oberko – Public Services International, Dr. Kabiru Ishola Genty – Lagos State University and Maureen Kalume – KUDHEIHA shared their experiences on the fourth industrial revolution. The lessons drawn was that the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) poses threats and opportunities to the working class. The threats are job losses following digitalisation and the opportunities are the new kinds of jobs centred on digitalisation. The GLU Alumni were encouraged to conduct country research on the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on employment. The solution offered for the impending job cuts was Continuous learning for both workers and employers. This is key to keep them relevant on soft skills and re-skilling in light of technological advancement. Lessons could be drawn from Zimbabwe Chamber of the Informal Economy Association’s (ZCIEA) online application in which they have developed an online database for mobilisation/organising/capacity building for their members. It offers online security as it is only programmed for use with a mobile network service provider.
On the Global Labour Column (GLC), Dr. Nicolas Pons-Vignon from the University of the Witwatersrand highlighted that the GLC started in 2009 at Wits University. The GLC brings universities closer to labour issues and the world at large. GLC articles are not academic papers but short and rigorous articles that inform the world about contemporary and relevant labour issues. Articles should be brief; rigorously structured with a focused argument and at most should have 5 online references. A GLC article should be 1500 words and below. The workshop went through an illustration on how to write a GLC article and some participants volunteered their research to present their ideas which presented good examples on how to write good articles.
The day ended with Taurai Mereki presenting ideas on the possible formation of a Regional Africa alumni network. The alumni agreed to continue with the task on day four and Taurai was tasked to guide the alumni in the next meeting on the proposed network using the following format; tracking students; Terms of Reference (ToRs) and Plans of Action. The session was chaired by Louisa Nxumalo who is also alumni and Provincial Educator of COSATU, South Africa.
GLU Alumni Network 