SAAIR Announces the Top Three Best Paper Awards – 2025 Conference
The Southern African Association for Institutional Research (SAAIR) is pleased to announce the Top Three Best Paper Presentations from the 2025 SAAIR Conference. These papers were identified through a rigorous evaluation process drawing on participant feedback, review committee assessments, and blind‑review scores from the abstract selection process.
As part of SAAIR’s affiliation with the Association for Institutional Research (AIR), the Best Paper from the 2025 SAAIR Conference will attend and present at the 2026 AIR Forum, continuing the established practice of presenting as an AIR paper. The 2026 AIR Forum will take place from 25 to 29 May 2026 in Washington, DC, United States.
As the Best Paper from the 2024 SAAIR Conference was unable to attend the AIR Forum, SAAIR is also pleased to announce that, for this year only, the runner‑up paper from the 2025 Conference will be supported to attend the AIR Forum as a delegate. SAAIR will cover the AIR Forum registration fee for one presenter, and AIR has provided a travel grant of USD 1,000, administered through SAAIR.
Top Three Best Paper Presentations – 2025
Best Paper
Strategic Workforce Planning in South African Higher Education: A Data‑Driven Framework for Sustainable Institutional Development and NDP 2030 Alignment
- Hossein Masoumi Karakani, University of Pretoria
- Munienge Mbodila, Walter Sisulu University
Runner‑up
Exploring the Plausible Pathways toward Inclusive and Equitable Education 5.0: An Appreciative Inquiry for Quality Higher Education in Namibia
- Sulaiman Atiku, Namibia University of Science and Technology
- Himeesora Kaimu, Namibia University of Science and Technology
Third Place
Aligning Research Funding Strategies with National Development Goals: A UoT Perspective
- Valentine Maroga, Tshwane University of Technology
- Njabulo Ngobese, Tshwane University of Technology
SAAIR congratulates the award recipients on this outstanding achievement and celebrates their contribution to advancing institutional research and data‑informed practice in higher education.
