Recording: World Access to Higher Education Day 2020

WAHED is an annual event, raising worldwide awareness around inequalities in access and success in higher education and acting as a catalyst for international, regional and local action.

This year, WAHED took the form of a global conference series, based around Access and success in the post-pandemic world, and feature a series of six events, each led by an organisation active in promoting equity in higher education within their own continent.

The NCSEHE and Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Australasia (EPHEA) invited equity practitioners from Australia and New Zealand to a Zoom celebration on 17 November to launch World Access to Higher Education Day (WAHED) 2020.

Over 200 national and international delegates joined us to hear keynote speaker Professor Sally Kift on Equity and the ‘Anxiety Machine’: Fitting your own oxygen mask first, as well as a student panel highlighting the wide-reaching impact of equity practitioners in higher education.

As a central component of the event, we asked students and staff to nominate someone they felt had demonstrated being a ‘Champion for Change’. These ‘Champions’ have been recognised for repeatedly going above and beyond to ensure that students are supported. We would like to congratulate all of our WAHED Champions for Change

To conclude the event, participants then joined a selection of Zoom-friendly wellness activities including desk yoga, an online scavenger hunt and a mandala workshop!