Equitable collaborations for global justice in and through education

Join the Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre at the University of Cambridge, UK, and the University of the Western Cape (UWC), South Africa, for a closing symposium for our joint seminar series exploring equity, pedagogy and innovation in times of global crises.

This symposium will be held in person at the University of Cambridge from 12:00-15:45 BST and at UWC from 13:00-14:45 SAST, as well as online. There will also be an evening lecture at 17:00-18:00 BST or 18:00-19:00 SAST.

Keynote addresses include:

• Professor Robert Balfour, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, University of the Western Cape
• Professor Bhaskar Vira, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Environmental Sustainability, University of Cambridge

Evening keynote address:

• Professor Ahmed Kamal Junina, Assistant Professor and Head of English Department, Al-Aqsa University, Gaza

Panel discussions:

• Equitable research collaborations and partnerships
• Education, decolonisation and antiracism
• Indigenous knowledge and climate justice in and through education

This closing symposium for the UWC/REAL Centre seminar series will focus on global solidarity across universities as spaces not just for teaching, but for nurturing social conscience and tackling injustice and oppression.

The University of the Western Cape is well-known for its struggle against apartheid and its continued fight against oppression, discrimination and disadvantage in modern day South Africa. Under the banner of "an intellectual home of the left", from 1987, UWC created space for curriculum renewal, innovative research and outreach projects. It committed to being a university that not just generates knowledge that is useful, but that also politically addresses inequity and social justice.

These same commitments underpin the values of the REAL Centre at the University of Cambridge in its work to realise equity. UWC and the REAL Centre jointly attempt to formulate coherent responses that are ethically informed and progressive in tackling the biggest contemporary challenges facing the world – the climate emergency, conflict, authoritarianism, artificial intelligence, etc.

Our joint seminar series in 2026 has been an opportunity to consolidate discussions between the two universities in forming an ethical partnership.

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Host or Publisher Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre at the University of Cambridge