Proceedings of the 10th Focus Conference (TFC 2023)

Book excerpt: This is an open access book. The 2023 Focus Conference will focus on Goal Four (Quality Education) of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SGD). Goal Four is seized with providing “equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education including university.” Quality education, in this context, means the ability to function, provide and derive value in society. The theme of the conference is therefore coined as “The Role of Higher Education in the Attainment of Sustainable Quality Education.” Through this theme, the conference will provide a space for participants to share practical knowledge, experiences, and possible solutions to the myriad of problems that confront the higher education sector. Universities are often thought of as ivory towers far removed from the realities that confront global societies. To compound this, higher education is increasingly being questioned for its relevance in providing practical and innovative solutions to existing societal problems. Such questions often navigate around the relevance of the academic programmes being offered, curriculum, the capacity of staff, employability of graduates, and generally the ability of these institutions to understand why they exist. Indeed, higher education’s role in creating a sustainable future will presumably take on greater importance as the world continues to become increasingly globalised and interdependent.