With a well-earned reputation for excellence in South African public education spanning more than 120 years, Rhodes University is set to embark on an exciting new chapter of international collaboration and innovation. Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sizwe Mabizela, recently returned from the Forum of BRICS University Rectors in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, brimming with enthusiasm after the adoption of the transformative Rio de Janeiro Declaration on 7 June 2025. This landmark document promises to elevate education, research, and innovation to new heights, fostering inclusive development, sustainability, and global cooperation, values deeply cherished by Rhodes University.
Professor Mabizela, a staunch advocate for progressive education, has called upon all faculties, academic departments, and support divisions at Rhodes University to integrate the Declaration's inspiring resolutions and recommendations into their upcoming plans and activities. “This proactive approach will help ensure Rhodes University remains at the forefront of global academic excellence and continues to shape future leaders committed to ethical principles and human rights,” he said.
The Declaration itself is a powerful roadmap for the future, strategically outlining commitments across eight vital thematic areas. It offers imaginative possibilities as Rhodes University aligns with global efforts in:
- BRICS Academic Funding: Exciting short-term goals include identifying new funding opportunities for joint research and mobility, and the creation of a BRICS University Grant Catalogue to empower both faculty and students. Looking ahead, a BRICS Academic Cooperation Fund will foster long-term partnerships and ground-breaking innovation.
- Language Policies: Rhodes University, already a champion of linguistic diversity and inclusivity, will partner with immediate efforts to assess current language policies and launch pilot multilingual digital platforms for vibrant academic exchange. The future promises a BRICS Multilingual Academic Resource Repository and co-publication initiatives in native languages and English to enhance accessibility and global visibility.
- Health and Better Life: Inter-university task forces dedicated to public health research and community health programs offer immense opportunities to collaborative health education campaigns focusing on mental health, nutrition, and preventive care. The vision includes a BRICS University Public Health Network (BRICS-UPHN) to coordinate vital research and data sharing.
- Energy Transition and Sustainability: Rhodes University is set to embrace a greener future and will support the launch of a BRICS Green Campus Initiative, promoting energy efficiency and carbon tracking. A Joint Centre for Sustainable Energy Research and Innovation is on the horizon, embedding sustainability across all academic disciplines.
- Artificial Intelligence and Education: Rhodes University will contribute to a BRICS-wide AI in Education Forum, sharing best practices and tools, and fostering a joint open-access digital library of AI-enhanced learning modules. Future developments include AI-driven personalised learning systems and an inter-university AI Research and Ethics Consortium (AIREC).
- Fighting Poverty: Rhodes University will continue its proud tradition of community engagement by expanding service-learning programmes focused on food security and education access. A BRICS Poverty and Inclusion Research Observatory is envisioned to design vocational training and entrepreneurship programmes for marginalised groups.
- University Cooperation: The Declaration paves the way for thrilling multilateral agreements for joint degrees and faculty exchanges, alongside annual BRICS Rectors Dialogues and Student Forums. A ground-breaking BRICS Virtual University Consortium is planned, promising to standardise quality assurance and degree equivalency frameworks.
- Innovation: Rhodes University, already a hub of creativity, will partner in fostering start-up incubators and innovation labs and facilitating exciting BRICS Innovation Challenges and hackathons. The future holds the promise of innovation clusters linking universities, industry, and government, training the next generation of innovation leaders.
“The collective spirit of the Declaration underscores a shared responsibility to develop an extensive mobility programme for students, staff, and researchers, cementing a future rooted in cooperation, inclusion, sustainability, and academic excellence,” said Professor Mabizela.
“Rhodes University, with its unparalleled diversity and unwavering ambition, stands poised to be a powerful catalyst for transformation, not just within South Africa, but across the globe. This is a moment of immense excitement for the Rhodes University community, as we embrace a future of unparalleled collaboration and impact,” Professor Mabizela concluded.