Thanks to the multi-million Rand Teaching and Development Grant (TDG) CPUT is rolling-out interventions that will improve the throughput and success rate of students.

The grant is an initiative of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and sees millions of Rands invested into South African universities in a bid to improve graduation rates.

DHET representative, Dr Whitfield Green, who recently visited CPUT, says it’s important that universities use the grant effectively to ensure better outcomes in the public education system.

“There must be a systematic approach to improving students’ success rates,” says Green.

Deputy-Vice Chancellor Academic, Prof Anthony Staak, says CPUT used the first tier of the funding to focus on interventions that will improve students’ performance in physics related subjects.

One such intervention took place in the Civil and Surveying Department where lecturers set-up a recording studio to record lecturers, allowing students to have access to video recordings that explain difficult technical concepts.

In an effort to assist students to comprehend theories, the Emergency Medical Science Department tasked students with selecting a physics concept then proving it through a working model, while the Architecture Department introduced tablets and other new technology as a learning tool.

The Engineering Faculty also rolled out an early-intervention programme to track and assist underperforming students.

With grant funding available for several more years, Staak says they will broaden the scope of intervention programmes to assist students who are battling with mathematics, economics, chemistry and other science related subjects.

The TDG is administered at CPUT by Fundani.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

A record-breaking 6 712 diplomas and degrees were conferred on graduates during this year’s Autumn Graduation.

On Friday morning, Technology Innovation Agency CEO, Simphiwe Duma, urged graduates from the Faculty of Applied Sciences to use their newly-acquired skills to create new opportunities, as the country’s future depends on them. Duma recounted the nation’s achievements in the field of Science and Technology Innovation in creating jobs as well as improving the health and welfare of South Africans by discovering medicine for new ailments. “South Africa has an ability to produce world-class scientists and its future depends on you for it to be competitive globally,” he said.

Graduates from the Faculty of Engineering took the stage on Friday evening. Guest speaker Dr Makhapa Makhalo, General Manager of Research and Development at Mintech, a global leader in metallurgical innovation, reminded students that “Patience and perseverance will ensure that you’ll be the best”.

Festivities reached their peak on Saturday as graduates from the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences received their diplomas and degrees. Guest speaker, Acting Deputy Director General in the Department of Higher Education and Training, Dr Diane Parker applauded students for their dedication and offered them advice for their future as teachers: "Remember to give yourself time to mature in your profession; be not a teacher who breaks careers instead of building them. Be patient, love your work, love your subject, and love your kids."

Top achievers were rewarded for perseverance. Charles William Salmon received the Dean’s Medal for his achievements while studying towards a National Diploma in Agriculture, while Alexander Ebben-Esser Christian received the Dean’s Medal for his hard work while studying towards a National Diploma in Electrical Engineering.

Vice Chancellor’s Medalist, Marguerite Ester Stoffberg

The Vice Chancellor’s Medal was awarded to Ester Stoffberg, who graduated with a B-Tech in Clothing Management. A dedicated individual, Marguerite, completed her degree while working part-time; her final aggregate mark over the four years of study was 85.23%. She had also received a Deans Medal for Engineering in 2012 for her National Diploma in Clothing Management.

CPUT graduates were encourage to maintain a relationship with CPUT. Deputy-Vice Chancellor Academic, Prof Anthony Staak who concluded Graduation Week underlined the importance of improving skills and keeping current in an ever-changing world.  He urged students to continue their life-long learning at CPUT.

By Kwanele Butana, Nurahn Ryklief and Thami Nkwanyane

Written by CPUT News

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The German wind turbine manufacturer Nordex has pledged its support for the establishment of the South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (SARETEC) at the CPUT Bellville Campus.

The centre is a collaboration between higher education institutions in the Western Cape and will be a national facility that will train wind turbine service technicians.

PARTNERSHIPS: SARETEC project team, representatives from Nordex, the German Consulate, Giz and other role-players in the renewable energy sector at the signing ceremony

SARETEC has received overwhelming support from the Department of Higher Education and Training, which has allocated R105 million for the construction of the facility. The project has also gained support from the German development agency GIZ, the South African National Energy Development Institute and Green Cape.

The latest entity to come on board is Nordex, who signed an agreement with CPUT and GIZ at the German Consulate in Cape Town.

SARETEC Project leader and CPUT representative, Howard Fawkes, says Nordex will supply the centre with wind turbine components.

These components are crucial for the successful roll-out of the technician training programmes, which are currently being developed by a team of local and international experts.

Anne Henschel, the Nordex South African Managing Director says they are looking forward to collaborating on this project.

Gudrun Kopp, German Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development also pledged his support for the project.

"By expanding its use of renewable energies, South Africa will not only be helping to protect the global climate, but is hoping to also create secure jobs for the future. Thanks to the close trade links between Germany and South Africa, both our countries will benefit from this cutting-edge development cooperation project."

Co-authored by Howard Fawkes

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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

CPUT’s Education Faculty is daring to go where few other Universities of Technology go, by being part of a specialised research programme looking at Foundation Phase teaching methods.

The research programme places emphasis on mathematics and languages, as well as its distinctive focus on teaching in African languages, for Foundation Phase (FP) teaching, which focuses on learners between Grades R to three and gives students an opportunity to excel because they are taught in their home language.

The much-needed programme, which was lauched this year, will run for three years and enjoys the support of the European Union, the Department of Higher Education and Training and the Department of Basic Education.

Education lecturer and researcher Nici Rousseau says the two main objectives is to increase the number of graduates who specialise as FP teachers, particularly African language teachers, and to increase the number of public universities that offer similar programmes.

“The project gives us as academics an opportunity to polish up the grey areas of FP teaching, thereby giving learners a fair chance at understanding what they are taught”, says Rousseau.

Rousseau says FP teaching is well on its way to becoming an attractive career choice for matriculants through the bursary programme, which forms part of the EU supported project, targeting around 200 high-achieving African language school leavers.

Dean Prof Maureen Robinson says the FP programme is the jewel in the CPUT Education Faculty’s crown.

“CPUT is positioned at the forefront of Foundation Phase teaching, as it is the only University of Technology with a stand-alone project for this niche,” she says.

“This national project not only promotes the work that we are doing with our students and researchers, but it gives the FP educators a voice and necessary visibility to address the daily challenges in the classroom ”.

By: Thando J. Moiloa

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Thanks to the Education Faculty students across South Africa will have access to recorded teacher training material.

This initiative is part of the Strengthening Foundation Phase Project funded by the European Union and the Department of Higher Education and Training.

Video recordings were made of Grade R and One lessons which were presented by CPUT students at different schools in the Western Cape. The lessons focused on language and mathematics.

The videos will be distributed with support guides to all universities in South Africa that offer teacher training programmes.

Senior lecturer in the Foundation Phase Department, Nici Rousseau, who coordinated the project, says the teacher training material can be used at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

“We hope that these videos with the support guides will become invaluable didactic tools, which will above all invite meaningful discussions between students and their lecturers on the many aspects that influence learning and teaching,” says Rousseau.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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In a major boost for the reputation of CPUT, there has been a surge in research outputs for 2009. The university now leads all other Universities of Technology in South Africa in terms of research output, including traditional rivals, Tshwane University of Technology.

The latest Research Outputs report released by the Department of Higher Education and Training shows “impressive growth in publications output (above 10%) at CPUT… a good sign of research potential and development.”

Based on an analysis of journal publications, conference proceedings and book publications, the report highlights the fact that among the Universities of Technology, CPUT improved its research productivity by a hugely substantial 77% between 2007 and 2009. This is a full 14% more than the nearest competitors Vaal University of Technology, and 31% more than Tshwane University of Technology.

The reasons for this are clear – during CPUT’s gradual transition from a tuition-based vocational institution to that of a University of Technology, incorporating both tuition and research, the university’s research mandate has been strongly underscored. Four new research groups and units have been established, including the Biocatalysis and Technical Biology Research Group and The Centre for Multigrade Education. In addition, the Institutional Ethics Review Board was established in 2008 to pay ongoing attention to ethics as the research environment expanded at CPUT. Several researchers received new or improved NRF ratings, more post-doctoral fellows have been appointed, and more research-driven appointments have been made than at any other time in the university’s history.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, Dr Chris Nhlapo adds that two critical offices are now fully up and running and are providing comprehensive support to CPUT’s researchers and innovators. These are The Technology Transfer Office, “a fantastic resource where advice about patents, copyright and holistic intellectual property management can be obtained."

The office was established as a result of the Intellectual Property from Publicly Funded Research Act of 2008, which recognises the important role universities play in research and innovation to promote economic growth. The act obliges universities to establish a TTO to foster Technology Transfer - essentially the process of taking a concept from research into a useful product or new service using the primary tool of Intellectual Property (IP).

In addition, the Centre for Postgraduate Studies, established 2 years ago, is enhancing the profile of post-grad activity at the university, attracting more and more students into the research community and raising awareness of potential technology innovation as an outcome of postgraduate research.

Nhlapo says he is thrilled at CPUT’s research outputs for 2009, and has paid tribute to the active support given to research by CPUT’s management. He’s also praised the variety of internal support services helping researchers. These include the library and information support services, information technology, and the administrative and financial infrastructure, without which it would be impossible to conduct research.

By Jan Weintrob

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To address the critical shortage of qualified medical laboratory scientists in South Africa, CPUT's Biomedical Sciences Department has become the first in the country to offer a professional degree in Medical Laboratory Science.

The degree was approved by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DoHET), the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC), the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) to be offered as from January 2011.

CPUT will replace its three-year National Diploma: Biomedical Technology with the professional degree. According to Prof Johan Esterhuyse, Head of Department Biomedical Sciences, the degree has been structured so that it contains elements of both the National Diploma as well as BTech: Biomedical Technology.   Esterhuyse, who is also the national coordinator of the re-curriculation process says, "Offering such a degree will create better recognition of the qualification and also give us an opportunity to train highly qualified scientists. This degree will also open doors for our students and create more job opportunities as the qualification will give them better access to a greater job market globally." The professional degree will lead to further advanced levels of study towards Master's and Doctoral degrees.The department has also completed a new curriculum which has been approved nationally.  According to Esterhuyse, the new curriculum includes more integrated Pathophysiology and Molecular Biology, which is currently the new way of thinking in Biomedical Science.To keep everyone in the loop, the department has organised workshops to ensure that staff members know what is expected of them. "We would not have done this without the support we got from management and many other role players", added Esterhuyse.By:  Andiswa Dantile

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CPUT recently launched its Transformation Charter, making it one of the few institutions of higher learning that have reached that stage in the transformation agenda.

The launch was very symbolic in that it took place two days after Human Rights Day, 21 March, 50 years after the commemoration of Sharpeville Day (Human Rights Day), and 25 years after the Langa Massacre.

The launch is also significant as CPUT will host the Department of Higher Education and Training’s first-ever national stakeholder summit on higher education transformation from 22 to 23 April 2010.

George Mvalo, Manager for Institutional Transformation, Social Cohesion and Diversity at CPUT, said the higher education landscape in our country is such that universities need to respond in a coherent manner to the various transformation imperatives that are facing us.

He said the new document will bind us all and that it addresses seven principles of transformation. The process has so far involved two stages, with the first stage concentrating on the distribution of the charter itself on the cover of the current year’s desktop calendars. This was then followed by the launch.

Mvalo said the next step was to embed the charter in all processes. “We need to incorporate it amongst other things within our employment equity transformation processes and the transformation strategy. It should also be part of our strategic planning and we need to ensure that it cascades down to all levels within our university. We need to keep the charter alive and also see how can we carve out a student charter and enhance students’ lives,” he said.

Dr Sabie Surtee, the guest speaker for the day, painted a bleak picture of employment equity in the workplace according to the findings of a research she undertook at selected Western Cape organisations.

Her presentation, entitled “Transformation: African People in the Western Cape,” reached the following findings: “There was a low level of appointments of Africans in middle and junior management level posts. This was accompanied by robust appointment rates of white people in this occupational level which in most cases was double if not more than their numerical representivity in the South African population as a whole”.

It was recommended among other things that “The participating companies should build inter-company collaborative networks. This would allow them to identify and develop good practice to improve EE progress. Wider stakeholder engagement is needed to deal constructively with the social factors that make the Western Cape an unattractive destination for African professionals.

Participating companies need to review the format they are currently using to conduct staff meetings to address the “invisible syndrome”. A new methodology needs to be implemented where the voices of all staff are recognised, heard and respected”.

“Business was concerned about the difficulty that its members in the Western Cape were having in attracting and retaining African professionals on certain levels. Independent research was hence needed to understand what are the barriers to the achievement of employment equity in relation to African people in the Western Cape,” she said.

By Thami Nkwanyane

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South African tertiary institutions took a giant leap forward in the fight against HIV and Aids when they recently launched a national strategic policy framework at a conference held at UCT.

Produced in collaboration with universities by the Higher Education South Africa, the Department of Higher Education and Training as well as Higher Education Aids (HEAIDS), the framework provides a useful guide to universities and FETs in developing an effective response to the HIV/Aids pandemic.

The three-day national conference of Higher Education institutional HIV/Aids programmes was recently held under the theme: Applying the Research/Researching the Applied.

Speakers who addressed the conference included the Professor Anthony Staak, CPUT Deputy Vice Chancellor, the Vice-chancellors of UWC, Stellenbosch and UCT, the Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Mduduzi Manana as well as speakers from the national Department of Health, UNAIDS and HEAIDS.

The main highlights of the conference were the unveiling of the new HEAIDS logo and the launch of the Policy and Strategic Framework on HIV/Aids for Higher Education.

The first day of this conference was planned to coincide with the celebration of World AIDS Day, on the eve of which the UNAIDS reported that South Africa increased its rollout of HIV treatment by 75% in the last two years, ensuring 1.7 million people had access.

The World Aids Day/Opening of the Conference was hosted by the CPUT HIV/Aids Unit and its director, Professor Ashraf Mohammed.

The report also indicated that during this period new HIV infections in South Africa had fallen by more than 50 000.

Kwanele Butana

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Researchers at CPUT are involved in cutting-edge research and have established themselves as leaders in their respective fields.

And the proof is in the university’s latest Research Report, which highlights the huge strides CPUT has made in terms of research during the past few years.

The report also confirms findings of the Department of Higher Education and Training, who have noted an increase in terms of research output at the institution.

The 139-page report reveals an increase in the number of National Research Foundation (NRF)-rated researchers, improved research ratings and an increase in the number of master’s and doctoral graduates.

The report also showcases researchers who have made headline news by winning prizes and prestigious research grants from the NRF, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Trade and Industry and other national and international bodies. A number of researchers have also filed patents, trademarks, copyrights and formed spin-out companies.

Deputy Vice­ Chancellor Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, Dr Chris Nhlapo says he is pleased with the growth in research outputs and research activity at the institution.

“The institution has cemented its place within the South African National System of Innovation as an attractive centre for international cutting-edge research and innovation, and an appropriate destination for world-class research fellows.”

Read the report here.

By Candes Keating

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Applications for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) have been formally opened for students from needy and working-class backgrounds with a household income of not more than R350 000 per year.

NSFAS is a public entity that reports to the Department of Higher Education and Training. The entity provides financial assistance in the form of a study bursary to qualifying students who wish to study or are already studying at universities and public TVET colleges.  South African citizens who plan to study in 2021 or are already studying at a university or TVET college qualify for a NSFAS bursary if they meet the following requirements:

• SASSA grant recipients.
• Your combined household income is not more than R350 000 per year.
• A person with a disability with a combined household income of not more than R600 000 per year or
• A student who begun their university studies before 2018 and their household income is not more than R122 000 per year.

Applicants who are approved for NSFAS funding are covered for the following:

• Registration
• Tuition

Allowances for:

• Food
• Accommodation or transport
• Learning material
• Personal care

NSFAS may need more information from you to process your application. Check what supporting documents are required and ensure that you have all the relevant information:

• Your own cellphone number and email address
• Copy of your ID or birth certificate
• ID copies of parents, guardian or spouse
• Your proof of income or one year’s IRP5 (if applicable)
• Your parents, guardian or spouse’s proof of income

Certified documents are not a requirement due to COVID-19 restrictions. If you are a SASSA grant recipient, no proof of income will be required. Applicants with a disability must submit a completed and signed Disability (Annexure A) Form, click here to download.  You can apply online using a cell phone, tablet, or computer. Follow the simple steps to apply on www.nsfas.org.za. Applications close on 30 November 2020.

Contact NSFAS via the NSFAS virtual contact centre:

NSFAS Connect: www.nsfas.org.za and log into your myNSFAS account

Facebook: National Student Financial Aid Scheme

Twitter page: @myNSFAS

Instagram: @myNSFAS

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On 6 and 7 October 2009 CPUT’s Bellville Campus served as the filming location for a number of television programmes on the theme of student voter education.

The programmes were commissioned by SABC Education in partnership with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DoHET) and Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) as part of a nationwide project that aims to engage students in discussions around the principles of democratic elections.

According to SABC Education Commissioning Editor Surekha Singh, the project came about as a result of a highly successful voter registration campaign for the September 2008 national elections, that included segments filmed at two South African Universities.

With several Universities holding SRC elections during the fourth quarter of 2009, the DoHET and IEC were encouraged to again partner with the SABC produce similar programmes, thereby helping South African universities ensure that their student governance elections are free and fair. CPUT was selected to represent the Western Cape Province.

Among the programmes filmed at CPUT were two live broadcasts of Shift, a daily lunchtime talk show on SABC1 in which young people and special guests discuss topics relevant to the country’s youth. The programme attracts between 800 000 and one million viewers per episode.

“Part of our campaign is to have face-to-face discussions in order to reach a wide audience, so we take Shift along,” said Singh.

The Shift broadcasts provided a forum for discussions on issues around student governance elections, including a conversation about the challenges faced by women in leadership. Discussions on lighter topics and musical inserts were also featured in the broadcast.

The discussion panels included staff and students from CPUT, students from other Western Cape universities, members of the IEC and other special guests.

The outside broadcast project has been endorsed by CPUT Head of Student Affairs Sibusiso Chalufu.

In a communication to staff and students sent prior to filming, Chalufu noted, “As Student Affairs we have welcomed the idea of the OB (outside broadcast) as we felt that it would add value and dovetail with our own SRC Elections Vibrancy Project.”

Having wrapped up filming in the Western Cape, the production team will be continuing the project at universities in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

Various pre-recorded documentary programmes, based on footage shot during the outside broadcast project will be broadcast by the SABC in January 2010. 

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Vice-Chancellor Prof Chris Nhlapo has been appointed to the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) of South Africa for a second term.

The HRDC is a national advisory body led by the Deputy President of South Africa, David Mabuza, and is managed by the Department of Higher Education and Training.

It is comprised of a collective of government, civil society stakeholders, business and higher education leaders who will pool their considerable expertise to improve the country’s economic growth and development. Members are appointed on a five-year term and become partners in brainstorming and addressing ways of relieving bottlenecks in the development of human resource skills in SA.

Nhlapo says his nomination and subsequent appointment recognise the key role that CPUT plays in the National Development Plan and producing graduates who align to South Africa’s fourth industrial revolution ambitions.

“I have been involved in the Human Resource Development Council since my days at the National Research Foundation, where we drove a myriad of capacity building projects. This continued when I became the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships. I see this appointment as a continuation of the mandate to skill South Africa for the 21st century,” he says.

“Rubbing shoulders with like-minded peers will also assist me in achieving some of the lofty targets we have set ourselves as an institution in terms of strategies and tactics.”

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Liaises with the media and writes press releases about interesting developments at CPUT.

A group of Industrial Engineering students are set to hit the ground running when they start their Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programme early next year.

The class is participating in the Employability Improvement Programme, which sees them complete various tasks based on Kaizen methods. These methods demonstrate the importance of workflow, time management and the correct utilisation of resources in the workplace.

This initiative is a colloboration between the Department of Higher Education and Training and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The pilot was rolled out earlier this year at universities and lecturers from the Faculties of Engineering Applied Sciences participated in the training.

Realising the benefits of this innovative programme, Work Integrated Learning Coordinators for Industrial Engineering, Desiree Jaftha and Reginald Rispel, piloted the training and their efforts have already paid off.

COMPLETED: One of the trucks manufactured by students

“We implemented it on a trial basis and it has helped bridge the gap between the employers’ expectations and the expectations of the students,” says Rispel.

The programme sees students work in an assembly line and hand-assemble more than 20 miniature size trucks, with the process timed and monitored. This exercise also improves student’s soft skills like teamwork, innovation and time management.

Jaftha says they have had positive feedback from companies.

“The mentors usually guide students for the first three months, but this time they say students are able to identify problem areas and recommend strategies for waste elimination immediately after entering the workplace,” she says.

Through this intervention students have managed to bring about huge cost savings in manufacturing and service delivery companies, with several securing permanent contracts at the companies were they are currently placed.

“We see significant value in this training and decided we need to train all our students before they go into the workplace.”

The Employability Improvement Programme is now a permanent feature in the Industrial Engineering curriculum.

ASSEMBLY LINE: Each student has their own work station and has to perform a specific task in manufacturing of the trucks

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

In a recent communiqué from the Department of Higher Education and Training a few important matters regarding student funding for 2016/2017 was communicated. Below please find the decisions reached by government addressing financial aid concerns.

• All NSFAS qualifying students who were registered in 2016 and meet the academic progression requirements for 2017 will continue receiving funding in the new academic year.
• NSFAS will pay the registration fee for all NSFAS funded students, meaning they do not pay any upfront fee.
• In 2017 students from households with an annual family income of up to R600 000 (the missing middle) will have the upfront or registration fee covered by government gap funding. They will therefore be allowed to register without paying registration/upfront fees.
• All missing middle students with historic debt will be allowed to register in 2017. Universities are required to develop transparent student debt policies for students not covered by the NSFAS scheme.
• Legitimate, peaceful student protests should be supported and the rights of all, including those who choose not to protest (the silent majority) must also be protected.

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Two academics have completed the Teaching Advancement at Universities (TAU) Programme and have started sharing their newly-acquired skills with their colleagues to enhance teaching excellence at CPUT.

Dr Nomakhaya Mashiyi, Language Coordinator in the Faculty of Education, and Dr Bernadette Millar, a senior lecturer in the Clothing and Textile Department, are now certified TAU Fellows.

The programme is funded by the Department of Higher Education and Training and empowers academics countrywide to be change agents at their universities.

Hosted by the University of Johannesburg, the inaugural two-year long programme consists of contact sessions and online support from supervisors.

The programme’s 53 participants were each required to do an individual’s research project aimed at promoting the Scholarship of Learning and Teaching as a marriage of learning and teaching with research.

“My research study evaluated academic and non-academic support programmes at CPUT’s Education Faculty,” says Mashiyi.

She added that the programme was innovative and empowering.

“We discussed teaching and learning at our universities and our envisaged role in promoting effective teaching and learning.”

She is of the view that each institution should create spaces for the TAU fellows to engage with fellow lecturers on matters on matters relating to teaching and learning.

Millar says the TAU Fellowship is very important for the country’s universities because it foregrounds learning and teaching in Higher Education.

“It was very stimulating to connect with academics from other universities and see the challenges we each face before deciding on how to move forward,” she says.

“I feel very honoured to have been part of the fellowship as I learnt a great deal and have since passed the knowledge to my colleagues and will also use it when supervising postgrad students.”

Written by Kwanele Butana
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CPUT’s role as a leading university of technology was once again affirmed with the appointment of Dr Chris Nhlapo as a member of South Africa’s top research panel.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, was hand-picked to serve on the Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) Research Output Evaluations Panel.

“This appointment is a vote of confidence for CPUT,” says Nhlapo.

This is the first time that CPUT will be represented on this panel, which annually evaluates university research outputs submitted to the DHET for subsidy claims.

The panel’s task is governed by the department’s Policy and Procedures for the Measurement of Research Output of Public Higher Education institutions.

This policy aims to encourage research productivity at universities by rewarding quality research outputs.

Nhlapo will serve a three-year term and, along with the other 14 panel members, will be responsible for recommending improvements and changes to the policy and its implementation.

Nhlapo says after his term he will be better placed to guide colleagues on what to submit and will also look at implementing a quality review process at the Research Office.

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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

In a bid to professionalize the paralegal sector and contribute to the transformation of the legal profession as well as higher education curricula, CPUT will from 2018 be offering the new Bachelor of Paralegal Studies degree.

The degree, being the first of its kind in the country, is designed to consolidate the fragmented approach to paralegal education in South Africa and bring comprehensive paralegal education firmly within the domain of higher education.

The Unit for Applied Law at CPUT obtained approval for the degree from the Department of Higher Education and Training as well as the Council on Higher Education.

Whilst preparing students for existing and future paralegal careers, aimed at meeting the primary legal needs of individuals and communities, the academic programme will also assist with the current challenges in the country’s legal education by providing a conduit to the LLB degree that serves as both a preparatory and screening mechanism for prospective candidates for the private legal profession, says the unit’s HoD, Adv Noleen Leach.

The programme rests on four core pillars of legal education, namely Private Law, Public Law, Mercantile Law and Formal Law.  Formal Law, for the most part, has been integrated into the other three pillars where appropriate, and the work-integrated components woven into the programme.

The programme takes three years to complete on a fulltime basis and five years part-time in the absence of any credit transfer or recognition of prior learning.

An APS score of 30 points is required to apply for the degree, but for more information about entry requirements contact Adv Leach on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 0219596418.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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CPUT stands to benefit from the New Generation of Academics (nGAP) programme, an initiative of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) that aims to produce a new generation of academics who will replace retiring staff members.  

As part of the nGAP programme, CPUT has been granted six new fully funded posts, totaling more than R13 m over a six year period.

This ambitious six year long programme will allow CPUT to fill key post in the areas of mathematics, industrial design, retail management, sports science, electrical engineering and radiography.

The programme is being coordinated by Prof Shaun Pather, the Head of Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the DVC: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships.

Pather says the nGAP programme dovetails with CPUT’s endeavours to address equity concerns within the academic staff establishment.

“ It also addresses our need to increase the number of staff with Doctoral qualifications, and whom, in addition to teaching responsibilities, will also actively contribute to the Research and Innovation enterprise,” says Pather.

“Like our own Khula programme this should go a long way to filling vital posts.”

The nGAP is part of the Staffing South Africa’s Universities Framework, a broader DHET initiative aimed at transforming the higher education sector by developing future generations of academics and building staff capacity.

*To apply for the available nGAP positions go to www.cput.ac.za/jobs

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

A ground-breaking research project which looks at how factors such as race, gender, class and language intersect to create inequality among university students is on the cards.

The three-year project sees a team of academics from four universities exploring how these demographic characteristics combine to create inequalities among students and whether universities perpetuate the latter. The team comprises of CPUT academics Prof. Lungi Sosibo and Drs Agnes Chigona, Misiwe Katiya and Daniella Gachago as well as Drs Lorna Dreyer (Stellenbosch University) and Sadhana Manik (University of KwaZulu-Natal) and Prof Vuyokazi Nomlomo (UWC). Funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) to the tune of R661 975, this is the second NRF grant that Sosibo, the team’s leader, has been awarded in succession.

“Working on this multi-site and inter-disciplinary project, we are a team of experts in the different areas of language, Information and Communication Technology, education as well as diversity and transformation,” says Sosibo.
“Our research outputs will include articles in journals accredited by the Department of Higher Education and Training, papers presented at peer-reviewed conferences, book chapters as well as Masters and Doctoral graduates.”

She adds that the collaborative nature of the project makes it a unique experience as each participant brings a different perspective based on the history of the university and personal background.
“The project will be enhanced by the team’s diversity as we boast both intermediate and established researchers.” 

Nomlomo says the project talks to her passion as she has worked extensively with language in education.
“I’m excited about collaborating with colleagues from other institutions and in the end we’ll have a broader perspective of higher education, its past, present and future.”

Written by Kwanele Butana
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