COMMENT | Town halls for open discussions, not 'talk down' sessions

COMMENT | On April 3, the Higher Education Ministry announced it would host a town hall session regarding the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA). The two-hour gathering took place on April 6.

A town hall is often called by top management, politicians, and senior leadership to hear employees’ or the community’s views on pressing issues.

From a political perspective, the most successful town halls are engaging, inspiring, and rally people to support political initiatives and national goals.

In the context of UUCA, the town hall was obviously the ministry’s initiative to rally support behind amending certain aspects of the Act, but mostly to gather support for its firm decision not to repeal it.

Town halls, also known as all-hands meetings, are gatherings where the “team” can hear news, discuss challenges, stay informed, and offer ideas.

It is also a time to build relationships with people you may not work closely with. It is the best way to bring everyone together to discuss misunderstandings maturely, and transparently.

On April 6, the ministry and top university officials were present to inform and “educate” lecturers and students about UUCA. However, from the perspective of student leaders, this so-called official “informative” group is becoming increasingly difficult to...