We want to turn dreams into reality!
The Central Applications Office (CAO) processes applications of all first-time entry level
undergraduate candidates to KwaZulu-Natal’s four public universities, three
TVET colleges and 13 private colleges.
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| Members of the CAO Board with guest speaker Devi-Sankaree Govender - Image: Abhi Indrarajan |
They held their AGM recently at the Hilton Hotel in Durban and
these were some of the highlights:
George van der Ross, the CEO of CAO gave us insight into the
new Short Course Training they are now offering for Corporates and the
Education Sector.
They will also be
giving courses on the new POPI Act.
4th September 2017 – The POPI Act for Executives
5th- 6th September 2017 – Impact of
POPI Act on Academic Staff
7th – 8th September 2017 – Impact of
POPI Act on HR Administrators
11th – 12th September 2017 – Impact of
POPI Act on Academic Administration
13th – 14th September 2017 – Impact of
POPI Act on Legal, Finance and Supply Chain Administrators
To enrol online: Go to https://form.myjotform.com/72212939377564
Call: +27 (0) 31 268 44 44
Email: training@cao.ac.za
Physical Address:
Gate 11, Mary Thiphe Street (Cato Manor Road), Durban.
The keynote speaker for the event was Devi-Sankaree Govender
from Carte Blanche.
‘From early on I bucked the system,’ shared Ms Govender. She
sent her CV everywhere.
‘When you are a talk show host you have to think out of the
box,’ noted Ms Govender.
She describes a day on a Carte Blanche shoot as always
involving drama.
George van der Ross gave us an inspiring talk into what
education and the selection of students really means.
‘How do we select our students?’ asked Mr van der Ross.
‘What do we know about the students we are selecting?’ asked
Mr van der Ross.
‘Do we know how prepared or ready our students are for post
school studies?’ queried Mr van der Ross.
When you apply to a university they normally want you to
write an essay, this is because they want to know more about you.
Mr van der Ross also shared some key statistics in education:
Approximately 30% of students drop out in the 1st
year.
‘Under 5% of African and Coloured youth succeed in higher
education,’ said Mr van der Ross.
‘Turning the tide must be central,’ emphasised Mr van der
Ross.
‘What are we doing about it?’ he asked.
‘Learners are migrating from rural areas to affluent areas.
More students from better resourced schools are getting into university,’ noted
Mr van der Ross.
He shared some key recommendations:
‘We need to forge more meaningful long term partnerships
with schools to create more visible access to pathways from high school to
university. We need to assist with
decisions about courses of study much earlier at point of registration. We want
to turn dreams into reality. What are we doing as an institution to promote
access? Universities need to develop much more understanding on who these
students are and what they can and cannot do,’ said Mr van der Ross.
Amongst the talks there was also some wonderful cultural
dances to make the AGM come alive.
The next AGM is scheduled for 22 August 2018.
For more info visit: www.cao.ac.za
This edition by Fred Felton | Twitter @fredfelton
