Polokwane Campus turns student dialogue into action

The Tshwane University of Technology’s Polokwane Campus is strengthening dialogue between students and institutional leadership, with Campus Rector Dr Walter Tshamano calling for a shift from reactive responses to student challenges towards proactive engagement, shared responsibility and collaborative governance.

Dr Walter Tshamano Dr Tshamano made the call during a student structure engagement hosted by his office on 15 October, which brought student leaders together to deliberate on challenges affecting the student community and develop practical interventions aimed at enhancing the student experience.

The engagement provided student leaders with a platform to address key concerns, including access to financial aid and bursaries, mental health and psychological well-being, governance and accountability, academic infrastructure and support, as well as resources for registered student structures.

Working in groups and commissions, delegates examined these issues and proposed short-, medium- and long-term interventions aimed at addressing the identified challenges and strengthening the student experience at the Polokwane Campus.

Delegates of different structures were placed in different groups. Addressing delegates, Dr Tshamano emphasised the importance of moving beyond historically reactive approaches, including student protests, towards a culture of constructive dialogue, proactive engagement and shared responsibility. He described the colloquium as an opportunity to deepen collaboration between student structures and the institution while ensuring that discussions lead to meaningful outcomes.

“This colloquium is not meant to replace our relationships or roles towards our constituency. The colloquium goes beyond directorates and structures; the whole is greater than its constituent unit. Our commitment is not just to listen, but to ensure that we begin a journey of developing outcomes that are actioned on,” he said.

His remarks underscored the importance of looking beyond individual structures and directorates and recognising the interconnected nature of the issues affecting students. The engagement therefore focused not only on identifying challenges, but also on developing practical solutions that could translate dialogue into tangible outcomes.

Delegates at the Student Colloquium with the Campus Rector Dr Walter Tshamano_ The session concluded with delegates individually reflecting on a question designed to strengthen accountability beyond the colloquium: “Based on this engagement, what is the one commitment my structure will hold the institution accountable to before the next sitting with the rector?”

The question challenged student structures to identify specific institutional commitments requiring attention before the next engagement, reinforcing the central message of the colloquium: meaningful dialogue must ultimately be followed by action.

One of the delegates on the podium.