It was a massive moment for those from the Richfield Graduate Institute of Technology when they received the Socrates Award at the Summit of Leaders, in Oxford, England on December 20, 2016.
The institute’s CEO, Jay Ramnundlall received the award on behalf of the enterprise, in recognition of the contribution made by the institution to the higher education and further education landscape in South Africa and was seen as a leader of the education industry.
The event was headlined by SA’s Minister of Education, Blade Nzimande, as keynote speaker. Richfield Graduate Institute of Technology (Pty) Ltd was also awarded with the Best Institute Award for the strong position in the national market and in international ratings, successful implementation of modern management technologies, high staff qualification and efficient marketing strategy. And as a cherry on top for the institute, Ramnundlall was honoured as the Manager of the Year.
The Summit of Leaders as a traditional grand-scale gathering of members and partners of Europe Business Assembly and the Academic Union Oxford has been held since 2000 and has been attended by more than 6500 delegates from 56 countries. For years, it proves to be a source of inspiration, learning and transformation for those who are looking to build better businesses and a better society, to share innovative ideas, workable business strategies, sum up the academic activities of the passing year and celebrate success of regional leading educational institutions and private sector. For the past 16 years, the Summit of Leaders as the multicultural platform builds a bridge between science, education, business and investment. The main slogan of this year is ‘Investment in Education as Investment in the Future’. The agenda included a plenary session with key-note speeches that highlighted modern challenges in education management, R&D and overviewed innovative solutions to socially important issues. It was opened and moderated by the Director General of Europe Business Assembly, Prof. John Netting. The guest star of the Summit were H.E. Dr. Bonginkosi Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education and Training, Republic of South Africa, MP. The Minister spoke up on state educational initiatives and viable innovative approaches to education with government support. The honourable Summit partners: Monspace Multinational Corp, MalaysiaMarie Espejo, Managing Director, and Al Jazirah Engineers & Consultants, Saudi Arabia represented by Khalil Abdulkarim Al Fraih, Owner and Director General provided welcome addresses and efficient company introductions .