20 March 2026
On 20 March 2026, the Cape Higher Education Consortium (CHEC) and the Western Cape Government (WCG) convened HE on Trial: The People vs Higher Education — a bold, courtroom-style summit that placed higher education in the dock to examine whether the current system is fit for a future shaped by artificial intelligence, shifting labour markets and rising public expectations.
Held as a hybrid event at the Amazon Web Services Training Center in Cape Town, the summit brought together university leaders, government officials, industry partners, international experts and civil society representatives for a day of rigorous, evidence-based dialogue.
Event at a Glance
Date: 20 March 2026 | Time: 09:00–16:30
Venue: AWS Training Center, Cape Town | Format: Hybrid (In-person & Online)
Convened by: CHEC and the Western Cape Government
The Trial Unfolds
The day was structured around three acts, mirroring a courtroom proceeding — from indictment through defence to a final verdict.
Prof Eugene Cloete (CEO, CHEC) opened the summit, followed by a keynote address from Prof Jonathan Jansen (Distinguished Professor of Education, Stellenbosch University), who set the tone by reflecting on the role of universities in a rapidly changing world.
Act 0 — Context: The World Ahead
George Webster, an international VFX Supervisor, provided a provocative opening by painting a picture of what the next five to ten years of work, skills and production may look like in practice — grounding the day's debate in the realities facing graduates and employers.
Act I — The Indictment
Formal charges were read by Clerk of the Court Ms Sisipho Zweni, covering curriculum relevance, systemic inequality, digital and AI readiness, governance constraints and the pace of institutional transformation.
Three panels then examined these charges in depth:
Panel 1 – Governance, Policy and System Design on Trial Prosecuted by Prof René Pellissier (CHEC), this panel featured Prof Ramon Torrent (President, OBREAL Global) and Bonakele Jacobs (Director: TVET Curriculum and Institutional Support), examining the structural and policy challenges within higher education systems.
Panel 2 – The Academic Project on Trial Also prosecuted by Prof René Pellissier, panellists Dr Delmaine Christian (MP), Dr Whitfield Green (CEO, Council on Higher Education) and Dr Lucy Wakiaga (African Population and Health Research Center) explored pressures within the academic profession and the human realities of teaching, research and academic work.
Panel 3 – Technology, AI and Skills Mismatch Prosecuted by Ms Melissa Parker (Western Cape Government), this session featured The Hon Dr Kaviraj Sharma Sukon (Minister of Tertiary Education, Science & Research, Mauritius), William T. Malik (Cybersecurity Consultant, USA), Prof Colin Thakur (Distinguished Professor, UNISA) and Ms Tiara Pathon (Director, Microsoft AI), examining how prepared universities are for rapid technological change.
Act II — The Defence
Panel 4 – Higher Education as a Public Good Also led by Ms Melissa Parker, Dr Peter J. Wells (Chief, Higher Education, UNESCO) and Prof Teeroven Soobaryen (Aston Business School) reflected on the essential functions of higher education that must be preserved even as transformation unfolds.
Act III — The Verdict
A diverse jury panel — drawn from SETAs, industry, government and youth organisations — deliberated on three guiding questions: What must change within five years? What must not change, even under pressure? What trade-off must the system finally confront?
The jury delivered up to five structural, system-level priorities for the redesign of higher education in the region.
What Comes Next
The insights and priorities from the summit will inform a forthcoming White Paper and 2026–2030 Transformation Framework, providing strategic direction for regional higher education renewal. Additional reports, photos and resources from the event will be published here as they become available.