General News

At the end of the semester long collaboration, the I.T. students from Belgium Campus iTversity (South Africa), PXL University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Belgium), and Fontys University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands), met to present their unique solutions around sustainable living in the programme finale event which took place online. The virtual event was attended by 78 people from around the world with six participating teams made up of students from various disciplines and faculties. The nerve wrecking and thrilling programme experience went beyond the construction of projects to providing students with an adventure of interacting with the world through international peers, and dealing with communication and cultural differences that form part of different nationalities. The purpose of the Mega Project was to provide students with a meaningful opportunity to be part of building sustainable living for a smarter world, with a specific focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The three areas of sustainable living that were addressed was Waste Management, Energy Transition, and Air Quality. Participating students from around the globe took over the virtual stage to present their well-researched and ably-arranged projects to the audience and impressed the jury panel. Waste Management Challenge In this category the students were challenged to come up with solutions that focus on waste prevention, reuse, recycling and recover. Team 1 dubbed themselves Vastum Magna, and Team 2, came guns blazing to present their ideas where they both zoomed in on waste pickers, who are already cleaning the cities. The SDG goals targeted by both teams included good health, economic growth and responsible consumption. Their solutions were different but both teams provided some attainable ways to manage waste. Vastum Magna put emphasis on a solution that aims to provide resources that will enable waste pickers to efficiently continue with what they currently do by offering them adequate support. With this solution they hope for the social inclusion of the waste pickers by giving them recognition similar to what the South African Waste Pickers Association (SAWPA), whose mission is to get the waste pickers the respect they deserve, is doing. Their solution aims to assign territories for the waste pickers with reduced geographical zones but access to more waste.  Lastly, allocate designated drop off sites in those zones cutting down on their travel time to the recycling centres. At these drop-off sites there will be an onsite waste sorting machine which will cut-out the need for the waste pickers to go through the garbage. Team 2’s solution hoped to involve various stakeholders  involved in the waste creation process  to be part of the overall waste management solution. This includes households, waste pickers and retailers. Their solution process would start with a provision of barcoded refuge bags to households who will be responsible for sorting out garbage before taking it out for the waste pickers to collect.   Waste pickers will collect the already sorted-refuge bags for drop off at the recycling centres where they will exchange them for cash. The recycling centres will scan the refuge bag’s barcode and households will receive incentives in a form of points which would be redeemable at participating retail stores. Households will be able to track their incentives via a web-based application (app) developed by Team 2 for this purpose. Energy Transition Challenge   In this challenge, the students were to create tools which must optimise the management of renewable energy by predicting and creating a balance between production and consumption. Team 3 chose the ‘Reaching the maximum autarky’ theme. Their solution highlighted that the general public does not have accurate knowledge of how solar production works, therefore limiting interest and potential usage. Their website and app hopes to provide insight for the general public to understand the effects and benefits of solar energy.   They built their website and app on the linear regression machine learning model – by using different Python based technologies, various google functions for documents, and built-in cyber security. The smart app will automatically detect input information such as weather, time, and power usage which will enable the app to produce accurate information about power input and output at specific periods of the day. The average user will gain more understanding of their usage and make informed adjustments where needed.   Team 4 presented their goal of optimising solar generation and creating a predictive system by using UV data and helping users better understand their energy data while making use of open remote energy systems. They build their machine learning model using existing solar systems’ data, fitted with 20,000 rows. Their machine learning model was trained 50 times and presented a prediction accuracy of 90%. The basic layout of the app had three interactive layers which allowed users to log in, move from no specific data to predictive data after completing a few data fields. . This solution is designed for situations that typically have more reliable grid connections but provides a dynamic solution for going off-grid.  Air Quality Challenge The I.T. students participating in this challenge were tasked with the creation of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) app that is capable of consolidating information from existing air quality sensors to suggest actions that will maintain optimal air quality. Team 5 themed their presentation ‘Air pollution in the modern world’. The team’s main research focus was on designing an app that can personalise and improve the air quality index by providing users with an interactive and friendly experience.  Their app was designed to forecast air quality by entering personalised information such as name, surname and basic health questions into a solution database to provide sustainable suggestions based on user preferences for improving the overall air quality. Due to the sensitivity of the information captured on the app, it has a two-factor authentication process as an added security feature.   Team 6’s innovation was an app that predicts and provides homeowners with personalised and eco-friendly advice about solving air quality challenges that may emerge and affect their health.   The multi-platform mobile app,

Belgium Campus iTversity’s 2021 Graduation Ceremony On Friday, 7 May, our students held their heads up high and walked tall when they were awarded their academic qualifications. The 2021 Graduation ceremony at Belgium Campus was nothing short of special as the day was not only devoted to celebrating this important achievement in these students’ lives but also at highlighting the start of a new beginning. It was a unique ceremony where both the class of 2020 and the class of 2021 respectively walked on stage to receive their hard-earned IT diplomas and degrees. This year’s event boasted a total of 259 graduates. Of these 259 students, 74 achieved cum laude, 19 magna cum laude and 7 summa cum laude. It was another year of excellence for Belgium Campus!   Mr. Enrico Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer of Belgium Campus iTversity, praised the graduates for their resilience under the current pressure brought on by COVID-19. He highlighted some special qualities that make Belgium Campus students stand out from the rest by focusing on their sense of responsibility and their commitment to others. These core-competencies form part of their unique foundation which is rooted in the Belgium Campus philosophy and makes them the most sought after in the IT industry. He went on to acknowledge and applaud the crucially supportive role played by guardians, parents, spouses and loved ones throughout the students’ academic journey. It is through this kind of support that the number of deaf and hard of hearing students graduating at our institution more than tripled this year. It went from two students in 2019 to ten in 2021. The high quality education offered at this institution is a tool that equally empowers students from various demographics and the excellent education acquired will form part of who these graduates are wherever they go. Our valedictorian Bernd Eckbert Gevers, class of 2021, with an aggregate average percentage of 88%, shared the road to achievement. He delivered his speech with finesse, carrying the audience through his journey which began when he attended the Open Day event in 2016, and ending with him not only graduating but delivering a valedictorian speech in 2021. He described how hard the road was and how at the end he knows that he made the right choice to study at BC. Mr. Jan Rombouts, the Chairman of the Belgium Campus iTversity, graced the occasion with his presence – all the way from Belgium. He congratulated the graduates on the journey of life they have just embarked on. Their journey is one that has no path but has opportunities for them to create their own trails. By Kgomotso Mogotlane

Hybrid Academic Opening Ceremony With the academic procession adding masks to their academic regalia, this year’s academic opening ceremony took place a little differently than usual. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a hybrid ceremony was held to ensure the safety of all attendees. Despite the majority of guests having to attend online, the Belgium Campus community did not disappoint! We were pleased to be able to come together as academia, industry, government, students, parents and alumni to share this celebratory occasion. The official opening of the academic year is a tradition we take great pride in and one which we have practised since our inception in 1999. It provides an opportunity for us to look back on our achievements and share our vision for the future with all our stakeholders.   This year we were honoured to be joined in person by distinguished guest speakers H.E. Mr Vanderhasselt, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium and Mr Mabizela, Chief Director at the Department of Higher Education. We were also joined online by First Digital Managing Director, Mr Kendall, Belgium Campus Alumni Board Chair, Mr Masunika and Belgium Campus iTversity Chairman, Mr Rombouts, who joined the celebration from his home in Belgium. This year’s ceremony not only allowed us to reflect on what we have achieved over the past 22 years, but also to reflect on the many new challenges the last year presented. “The COVID shock taught us to build uncertainty and flexibility in our development. We saw the need to reorganise the physical aspects of our campus and our campus life, and we rerouted programmes enabling distance online teaching and learning using new infrastructure and software. We had to change our educational architecture physically and mentally to incorporate a COVID-related reality into our education projects, our values and commit and allocate, and reallocate, our resources.” – Belgium Campus CEO, Enrico Jacobs. Adapting to the new normal and building resilience were common themes in the night’s speeches and all guest speakers commended the Belgium Campus community for remaining resilient and adapting for the benefit of all students and society at large.   “The Belgium Campus – students, parents and staff alike – has been able to reinvent itself. You can be proud of your campus for everything which has been done to contain the pandemic and ensure at the same time that you receive quality education.” – H.E. Mr Vanderhasselt expressed while congratulating new students for choosing Belgium Campus. He went on to cite academic excellence, global competence, collaboration, inclusivity and social responsibility as other key Belgium Campus values which students should be proud of. “Thanks to this quality education you will be able to secure a place in the job market quite easily. At the end of your studies, you will be part of the 8% of all IT graduates in South Africa, in that year, helping to shape your countries future.” He went on to cite academic excellence, global competence, collaboration, inclusivity and social responsibility as other key Belgium Campus values which students should be proud of. “Thanks to this quality education you will be able to secure a place in the job market quite easily. At the end of your studies, you will be part of the 8% of all IT graduates in South Africa, in that year, helping to shape your countries future.” CEO, Enrico Jacobs, acknowledged that the challenges are far from over but assured all attendees that Belgium Campus is proactively preparing for the next new normal, whatever this may look like. “We are doing everything we can to keep loyal to our mission in a new context – delivering skill-apt graduates for the next normal who will promote inclusiveness and diversity, continue to develop intellectually, have an open mindset for growth, challenge the traditional norms, and possess attitudes of thinking creatively, critically and strategically whilst having empathy and care for others.”   The event also provided a platform for the introduction of the recently established Belgium Campus Alumni Association. Founded to strengthen the Belgium Campus brand and increase the opportunities available to our graduates, the association outlined a number of exciting plans for the year ahead. These plans include the establishment of a mentorship programme to further assist upcoming graduates with the studies-to-work transition, regular skillshare events to enrich our collective knowledge base, and the raising of funds, via the Belgium Campus Bursary Fund, to assist previously disadvantaged students and widen access to higher education. With each speech followed by an uplifting performance by the incredibly talented Mzansi Youth Choir, this year’s academic opening ceremony left guests, and speakers alike, feeling hopeful and excited for the year ahead. The academic year was officially declared open by H.E. Mr Vanderhasselt, who encouraged attendees to “go invent tomorrow instead of worrying about what happened yesterday” – Steve Jobs. We wish our students, parents, staff and stakeholders the very best for 2021. Let’s tackle this new normal in the manner in which we operate – with excellence! -Louise Fuller

Mega Project: Sustainable Living Belgium Campus iTversity has embarked on a new virtual international collaboration project with PXL University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Belgium) and Fontys University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands). The project, titled Mega Project: Sustainable Living, is a semester long collaboration which challenges students from across the globe to engineer solutions around sustainable living. About the Project Participating students will work in groups with international peers from a range of faculties on overarching innovation projects. The projects will address sustainable living challenges in the areas of waste management and smart cities, with a specific focus on the SDGs. By exposing students to multicultural course content and multidisciplinary innovation, the project aims to promote the innovation and leadership skills needed to drive real change in our increasingly complicated world. “There is a need for global competence and job-ready graduates who understand the complex environment they are entering. Although knowledge is important, possessing the skills, attitudes and behaviours needed to thrive in today’s world is even more important. We need to be able to make connections, even in the virtual world, in order to create respect and understanding, and collaboratively create and critically evaluate sustainable and relevant solutions.” – Belgium Campus CEO, Enrico Jacobs. Kick-Off Event and Challenges Earlier this month, a virtual kick-off event was held to mark the official launch of the project. The event gave participating students an opportunity to meet their international peers and provided a platform for the presentation of the sustainable living challenges they will be working together to address. The challenges, which were presented by representatives from each of the participating organisations, include: Waste Management ChallengePresented by Technology Innovations Agency HOD, Senisha Moonsamy and Elula Group South Africa Director, Alvero Mpofu. Students are challenged to ideate, research and prototype a localised, socially inclusive solution that addresses the negative effect increased urbanisation has on waste management. The solution must move away from the unsustainable wase management method of landfill disposal and instead focus on waste prevention, reuse, recycling and recovery. Students are encouraged to adopt a technological approach, using trending technologies like AI and IoT, to develop solutions which are not only feasible but are also leading and distinct. Air Quality ChallengePresented by Boekel Ecovillage Founder, Ad Vlems. Students are tasked with creating an AI application that will help maintain a healthy environment within the eco-homes in this community. To achieve this, the app must be capable of consolidating information from existing air quality sensors within the homes, weather forecasts, health tables and user preferences, in order to suggest actions that will keep air quality at an optimum. Students must also keep security and user privacy in mind during the development process. Energy Transition ChallengePresented by OpenRemote CEO, Pierre Kil. Students must design software tools that will allow for the development of an off-grid energy management system. The tools created must optimise the management of renewable energy by predicting and creating a balance between production and consumption. This can be achieved with the use of a smart energy storage device which participating students are also challenged to design. In addition to the industry partner representatives and students and staff from the participating institutions, the event was also attended by Dr. Ayodele Odusola, the Resident Representative for the United Nations Development Programme in South Africa. Dr. Odusola gave an insightful speech highlighting the importance of the SDGs, and a project such as this, in realising the UNDP’s goal to achieve an inclusive, just and sustainable future for all. “This initiative is shifting the frontier of market-ready graduates by aligning theory with practical skills and labour market context. I strongly believe that the students who benefit from this initiative will be the drivers of future innovations that lead us in the right direction. -Louise Fuller