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Staff Reporter
University of Stellenbosch academic Professor Jonathan Jansen led the tributes to Professor Peliwe Lolwana, the Chairperson of the South African Qualifications Authority, who passed away at the weekend.
“I am saddened to learn of the passing of Dr Peliwe Lolwana, a person who worked hard behind the scenes to imbue integrity in education policy work. South Africa owes her a debt of gratitude. Farewell dear friend. JJ,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
On Sunday in a statement, SAQA announced the sudden and unexpected passing of Lolwana.
“Prof Lolwana was a rare breed of esteemed academic and visionary policy maker. She was also endowed with extremely quick wit, which would often be displayed to the world on her boardroom outfit (her famous slogan t-shirts!)
Prof Lolwana was a retired and visiting Associate Professor at the Centre for Researching Education and Labour (REAL), University of Witwatersrand; Johannesburg, where she had previously served as the founding Director of the Centre for Researching Education and Labour at the University of Witwatersrand after transforming the previous Education and Policy Unit.
Prior to that, she had been the founding CEO of the school education quality assurance body, Umalusi, leading its transformation from the South African Certification Body and then leading the organisation for 8 years.
Previously, Prof Lolwana was a director at the Institute for the Development of Learnerships and Assessments (INDLELA), an organisation she transformed from the Central organisation for Trades testing (COTT). Her career was long and distinguished but certainly bears the indelible mark of transformation and thought leadership.
“She was, even in retirement, one of the most formidable readers and thinkers in education today and her constant challenge and inspiration to SAQA was for us to think and critically reflect on how best to provide value to the public,” said SAQA in a statement.
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Prof Lolwana was the past recent chair of the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) and served on a number of Ministerial Initiative’s, bearing testimony for her deep ability to turn conceptual ideas into implementable projects as well as her strength in bringing together Government Departments; Private sector; NGOs, Universities and Communities in pursuit of shared goals.
She served in many commissions tasked with the transformation of education in the country, e.g. National Policy Education Initiative (NEPI); National Commission for Higher Education (NCHE); National Committee on Further Education and Training (NCFET).
She held a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, U.S.A. She was a two times Fulbright scholar, and her research has in different times been sponsored by Kellogs Foundation (in Salzburg, Austria); Rockefeller (in Bellagio, Italy); Ford Foundation in Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt and the Swiss Development Aid in Argentina and India.
Nadia Starr, the SAQA CEO indicated that “the sudden passing of Prof Peliwe is devastating and will impact deeply on the organisation and sector. She inspired transformation and rebirth at SAQA and she was my mentor and guide in these first twelve months at the helm.
“I relied on her wise counsel and sharp intellect as well as her absolute forthrightness, to steer this organisation and will miss her deeply. We will continue steadfastly on our path of review and reflection in her memory.”
The SAQA board, past and present acknowledges the invaluable contribution that Prof Lolwana has made and sends their sincere condolences to Professor Lolwana’s family members, colleagues, and friends.
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