World's 1st sea uni visits CT
2008-02-28 14:42
Cape Town - The world's first ocean-roaming university The Scholar Ship dropped her anchor in Cape Town's harbour early on Wednesday morning.
After many days at sea, more than 200 students from 35 countries have descended on the Mother City to learn about South Africa's rich cultural heritage and to engage in educational workshops.
"It is the first time that The Scholar Ship (TSS) visits Cape Town, since her inaugural voyage last year," Driss Ouaouicha (TSS Executive Officer, Students and Faculty) told media at a special welcoming ceremony onboard the vessel on Wednesday afternoon.
"It is also the ship's first visit to an African destination," he added.
"We are here in Cape Town to learn about Africa's heritage. South Africa is a leader on the African continent and a leader in reconciliation.
"Our students will get the opportunity for on-site learning through various excursions and workshops during their stay in Cape Town," he said.
Unique learning programme
Ouaouicha described the TSS as a unique 16-week learning programme for students.
"It's a live-in programme which combines classroom learning with experiential learning on both the ship and the countries that we visit."
One of the lucky students on the TSS is Dorothy Jolley, a South African who grew up in Natal and is now living in Salt Lake City, Utah.
"I'm an International Communications student and very excited to be part of the programme," she told News24.
"We, as students, are exposed to so many different cultures and mindsets. It's an exhausting programme - we are kept busy all the time - but it is also very rewarding.
"I especially find South Africa's political history very interesting and complex and there is a lot we can learn from," she added.
Interaction
Another student, Kelly Batt, from Sydney, Australia, said that as a Masters student in psychology she finds it fascinating to see how the students relate to each other on the ship and how much they learn from each other.
"We learn to be sensitive to each other's cultural differences and backgrounds. Even something as simple as humour can be so easily misunderstood," she told News24.
The visitors were welcomed to the Mother City by Cape Town's Deputy Mayor Grant Haskin, who was presented a dignitary plaque from officials of the Scholar Ship.
During his speech Haskin stressed the youth's important role in South Africa's democracy.
"South Africa is a diverse society with different languages, religions and cultures and it's our youth that teach us how to accept and respect each other," he said.
On a lighter note, Haskin also encouraged the students to vote for Cape Town in its bid to win a spot on the new Monopoly World Edition game board. "If Cape Town is not on that game board, who are we," he quipped.
Apart from visits to Cape Town universities, educational outings and workshops, the Scholar Ship will also present a workshop for young scientists onboard the ship in Cape Town harbour.
Workshop for young African scientists
From 1 to 3 March the Scholar Ship Research Institute and the World Association of Young Scientists will present a capacity building workshop aimed at promoting science-based responses by Africans to challenges and opportunities facing their continent.
Participants will come from several countries across the African continent including South Africa.
The Scholar Ship departed from Hong Kong on 2 January and has already visited Shanghai, Bangkok, Chennai (India) and The Seychelles.
The students will visit Cape Town for six days before they continue their journey to Cape Verde Islands, Barcelona, Istanbul, Lisbon and finally Amsterdam.
A R15m fund has been established for the 2007/2008 academic year to broaden the availability of the programme to students from diverse backgrounds.
Grants are awarded based on academic merit and financial need.
For additional information, visit www.TheScholarShip.com