The University of Western Cape (Department of Public Law and Jurisprudence) has appointed Jens Scherpe as Extraordinary Professor for an initial period of 1 April 2020 - 30 March 2023.
Established in 1960 as 'University for Coloured People' and located in the Bellville suburb of Cape Town/South Africa, the University of the Western Cape (UWC) has a history of creative struggle against oppression, discrimination and disadvantage. Among academic institutions it has been in the vanguard of South Africa's historic change, playing a distinctive academic role in helping to build an equitable and dynamic nation. UWC's key concerns with access, equity and quality in higher education arise from extensive practical engagement in helping the historically marginalised participate fully in the life of the nation.
Having visited UWC in March 2020, Scherpe says: "I am honoured to have been appointed at UWC, an institution with such a proud history. I am looking forward to teaching at UWC and to collaborating with colleagues from UWC, particularly Professor Julia Sloth-Nielsen and her team."
Professor Sloth-Nielsen, who teaches children’s rights, international family law and child justice at UWC and in addition holds a chair of Children’s Rights in the Developing World at the University of Leiden (The Netherlands), also is a corresponding member of the Cambridge Family Law Centre.