The Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences invites Grade 10 to 12 learners and all other interested parties to a Radiotherapy Open Day.

Date: Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Time: From 13:00 to 16:00
Place: L-Block, Radiation Oncology Department, Groote Schuur
Hospital, Observatory

Directions: Main Road in direction of Cape Town, turn left up Anzio Road, to the circle, turn right, through the boom, to C Floor parking area. Enter the building at LC31 – go straight through the double doors to the School of Radiotherapy.

For bookings contact Mrs V Martin:
Ph: 021 4426160
Fax: 021 4472963
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We hope to see you there!

Written by CPUT News
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With a surge of interest in complementary and alternative medicine, the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences is putting plans in place to roll out the Unani-Tibb Post Graduate diploma in 2011.

The programme, which will be the first qualification in complementary medicine to be introduced at CPUT, will be aimed at nurses with a primary healthcare qualification.

Recently Unani-Tibb experts from universities in India and Pakistan, who will assist with the implementation of the programme, visited CPUT.

Prof Rashid Bhika, from the South African Tibb Association who led the international delegation told CPUT staff members during a meeting on 7 May at the Bellville Campus, said they are looking forward to collaborating with CPUT.

Bhika said Unani-Tibb is based on the humoral and temperamental theory of Greek-Arabic Medicine. Unani-Tibb advocates that each individual should take responsibility for his or her wellbeing.

This they can do very effectively by choosing and regulating the type of food consumed, by correct breathing and sleeping habits, emotional management, exercise and the use of various alternative therapies or medicines.

The post-graduate diploma will provide additional diagnostic and cost effective treatment options that will enable nurses to manage illness conditions, especially chronic conditions more effectively.

Prof Anis Ahmad Ansari from Aligarh Muslim University in India said Unani-Tibb methods have already been implemented in many parts of the world.

Head of Nursing and Radiography Shafick Hassan said more South Africans are now combining complementary and alternative medicine with orthodox ‘western medicine’ for a broad range of conditions.

“Worldwide there is undeniably, a substantial swing away from orthodox medicine to the complementary and alternative medicine systems. Complementary and alternative medicine’s use is at an all-time high in the USA, Australia and the UK,” said Hassan.

Dean of the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences, Prof Dhiro Ghiwala, who met with the delegation, said they are looking forward to implementing this programme.

Unani-Tibb is the eleventh modality of the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA). The AHPCSA is responsible for regulating the practice and training of Complementary and Alternate Medicine (CAM) healing modalities, which includes amongst others, Homeopathy, Chiropractic, Chinese Medicine, Physiotherapy and Aromatherapy. <p.By Candes Keating</p.

Written by CPUT News
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The Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment is collaborating with the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences to manufacture medical ventilators which are much needed in the coronavirus fight.

The manufacturing team is headed by the Director of the Adaptronics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Laboratory (Adaptronics AMTL), Professor Oscar Philander.  Members from Adaptronics AMTL include Technical Manager, Mornay Riddles; Logistics and Operations, Eugene Erfort; Electronics and Mechatronics Technologist, Cyprian Onochi; Mechanical Technologist, Lubabalo Matshoba; Technician, Kerwyn Lategan; Artisan, Romeo Arendse and Department of Mechanical Engineering MTech Student, Tristan Edwards.

Other members are Project Consultant and Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences Acting Dean, Prof Penelope Engel-Hills, and Bachelor of Emergency Medical Care lecturer Louis Jordaan, who is also a Project Technical Adviser.

Philander says that when a desperate need for ventilators was identified in early April, he started looking at what other people were doing and downloaded and studied open-source designs for these devices.

Prof Marshall Sheldon also urged the Adaptronics AMTL to assist in any way with products to help in the fight against the pandemic. Philander then identified three areas, face shields, face masks, and ventilators.  The team has successfully produced both shields and masks using conventional manufacturing processes. “To date, we’ve finalised the design and manufacturing process for the face shield and handed out sample shields for evaluation purposes.”

He states that about 22 of these went to CPUT security staff while six went to doctors and emergency medical services staff on the front line. “So far the feedback on the shields has been positive and we have produced a stock of 150 face shields. Our prototype mask also underwent a cursory review by a medical doctor and he provided valuable feedback on its operation and use. We are currently prototyping the third variant of the face mask that should be ready for testing in about a week.”

Philander adds that the ventilators they are manufacturing are highly sophisticated lifesaving instruments. “Most of the open-source designs are for systems that mechanically depress AmbuBags or Bag Valve Masks (BVM).

“I decided to focus our work on such a system and contacted Prof Penelope Engel-Hills, requesting assistance in procuring a BVM.”

He states that Jordaan delivered a BVM to the Adaptronics AMTL and gave them a short introduction on how the BVM is used in the field and how it could potentially be used as a substitute ventilator when hospitals are overrun with patients desperately needing assisted breathing devices.

“My team is currently in the third iteration of the design and it was decided that we would minimise the amount of moving parts in the design thus making control of it easier. The design goals include varying the volume of air displacement, as well as varying the inspiration and exhalation rates.”

The Grassy Park born professor who enjoys helping communities says the team is finalising the design and will start prototyping soon.  Once the prototype is complete, the device will be tested in collaboration with the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences to obtain its specifications and how it could be used in the field.

“This will be a critical phase of the development due to the complexity of its function. More will be shared once we reach this stage,” he remarks.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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CPUT has appointed Prof Thomas Thurner as the new Research Chair for Innovation in Society. 

Over the next five years, Thurner will develop and support research activities in the Faculty of Informatics and Design and the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences. He joined CPUT in April from the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russia, where he established himself as a leading researcher in innovation management with a specific focus on state-owned enterprises. His research has been published in leading journals like the International Journal of Innovation Management.

AT CPUT, Thurner will focus on collaborative innovation processes through communities of practice. Such informal communities include a wide number of actors and organisations active in a field and cross over different levels and types of knowledge.
“In Africa, we should not focus too much on the supply side of technological innovations, but rather should study users and their processes of making things work. There is enormous potential in innovation processes outside of organisations.”

The aim is to establish a self-financed research group, which will be connected to international universities and provide a steady flow of research papers on African innovation experiences. Thurner says the first major step towards reaching excellence in innovation studies at CPUT is to identify areas with great strategic potential for further excellence in research and the involvement of relevant stakeholders.
Thurner will also work on building up critical research skills in the faculties and actively engage in the supervision of Masters and Doctoral Students.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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If you are determined that the direction of your travel is going to be upwards there will be no limit to what you can achieve.

This was the message to graduates from Prof Jimmy Volmink, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University, who was the guest speaker at a graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences.

He encouraged graduates to learn to reach beyond self-interest.

“In the 21^st century we find ourselves in a world which is becoming more and more selfish, polarised, hateful and fearful. If we are to survive we will need to find a way to reconnect with our humanity. What the world desperately needs today is more compassion,” said Volmink.

“I want to challenge you today as health and wellness professionals to find a way to show compassion and demonstrate solidarity towards your patients, clients, colleagues and society in general. Let us work together to overcome the shortcomings that we see around us and in the health system in particular and show leadership as makers of change.”

An emotional Simone Smith was the Dean’s Medal recipient in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences.

Smith, who graduated with a BHSC in Medical Laboratory Sciences obtained distinctions in 17 of her 20 subjects and achieved a final aggregate of 81 percent over the years of her study.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Three departments in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences have joined forces in a bid to help matric learners improve their Life Sciences marks and eventually qualify for tertiary studies.

The Emergency Medical Sciences (EMS), Biomedical Sciences and Wellness Sciences departments have taken Wynberg High School and Lavender Hill High School under their wing by providing Life Sciences revision classes for matrics. 

The project, which was initiated by the EMS Department’s Dr Kareemah Gamieldien, started with Wynberg High School, her alma mater, last year.

Following this successful pilot, the project was extended and Gamieldien said five revision sessions would be presented during 2019. 

The CPUT students selected topics to tutor from a list provided by the schools’ Life Sciences teachers. 

In addition, the third-year Bachelor of Emergency Care students and the department’s Basic Sciences staff, facilitated the various revision classes.

“I’m so grateful to all three departments and for the support from the Centre for Community Engagement and Work Integrated Learning, Service-Learning Division and the Marketing and Communication Department.  Our students are showing these matric pupils the future they never knew they had,” said Gamieldien. 

Gamieldien said the students and staff members didn’t allow a language barrier to get in their way. 

“A significant number of the students do Lewenswetenskappe so we had to translate all our revision sheets and memorandums into Afrikaans.”

The Wellness Sciences Department’s Michael Paulse said the department was grateful for the opportunity to be part of the project.

“Education is the route to empowerment and if we can help in one small way then we have to.”

Associate Professor Glenda Davison, Head of the Biomedical Sciences Department, concurred.

“I’m very positive about SA and I see our future leaders here and as CPUT we have to help to produce wonderful leaders. “

Lavender Hill High Matric Life Sciences teacher Monia Lewis said the school felt blessed to have been selected as one of the project schools.

Gamieldien says the project is making a difference. 

“Redressing the inequalities still visible within our education system is the potential Higher Education Institutions have which can be driven through Community Engagement,” she said. 

Three departments in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences have joined forces in a bid to help matric learners improve their Life Sciences marks and eventually qualify for tertiary studies.
The Emergency Medical Sciences (EMS), Biomedical Sciences and Wellness Sciences departments have taken Wynberg High School and Lavender Hill High School under their wing by providing Life Sciences revision classes for matrics.
The project, which was initiated by the EMS Department’s Dr Kareemah Gamieldien, started with Wynberg High School, her alma mater, last year.

Following this successful pilot, the project was extended and Gamieldien said five revision sessions would be presented during 2019.

The CPUT students selected topics to tutor from a list provided by the schools’ Life Sciences teachers.

In addition, the third-year Bachelor of Emergency Care students and the department’s Basic Sciences staff, facilitated the various revision classes.

“I’m so grateful to all three departments and for the support from the Centre for Community Engagement and Work Integrated Learning, Service-Learning Division and the Marketing and Communication Department.  Our students are showing these matric pupils the future they never knew they had,” said Gamieldien.

Gamieldien said the students and staff members didn’t allow a language barrier to get in their way.

“A significant number of the students do Lewenswetenskappe so we had to translate all our revision sheets and memorandums into Afrikaans.”

The Wellness Sciences Department’s Michael Paulse said the department was grateful for the opportunity to be part of the project.

“Education is the route to empowerment and if we can help in one small way then we have to.”

Associate Professor Glenda Davison, Head of the Biomedical Sciences Department, concurred.

“I’m very positive about SA and I see our future leaders here and as CPUT we have to help to produce wonderful leaders. “

Lavender Hill High Matric Life Sciences teacher Monia Lewis said the school felt blessed to have been selected as one of the project schools.

Gamieldien says the project is making a difference.

“Redressing the inequalities still visible within our education system is the potential Higher Education Institutions have which can be driven through Community Engagement,” she said.

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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The acting dean of the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences, Prof Penelope Engel-Hills, has co-authored two chapters in a new book that explores current topics in global bioethics.

The book titled African Perspectives on Ethics for Healthcare Professionals is volume 13 in the series Advancing Global Bioethics.

“It was important to write this book at a time when an appreciation for African traditional culture and value systems is re-emerging,” said Engel-Hills.

“In healthcare of this century, there is the need to integrate the contribution of medical sciences to Africa and African knowledge, values, and principles if we want to effectively care for our patients and people. In much of the ethics literature, the voice of health science practitioners and educators is absent. This book was conceptualised as a platform for those working and teaching in healthcare in Africa to contribute to the discipline of ethics and raise the challenges of being a healthcare professional on this continent.”

Engel-Hills co-authored the chapter, Ethics for Healthcare Professionals in Radiography - An African Perspective, with Chandra R. Makanjee and Muchui J. Thambura.

“This chapter covers a selection of some of the ethical dilemmas/ issues that radiographers working in hospitals and healthcare clinics in countries in Africa's face. Aspects such as; governance within diverse socio-economic environments, equitable access to the services, risks and harms in radiation medicine, radiation protection, multilingual environments and informed consent are discussed.”

The other chapter is titled Ethics in Diagnostic Radiography in South Africa: A complex Temporary Encounter Mediated through Text and Technology and Engel-Hills co-authored it with Makanjee.

“This chapter considers the profession of diagnostic radiography in South Africa and covers topics such as; regulations, access to and utilisation of services, registration and scope of practice, who can request an imaging procedure, radiation dose, and informed consent. The topics are presented with a focus on the South African context with an over-lay of generic principles that guide decision making, safety, empathy, working in a multi-disciplinary team and the need for lifelong learning in a rapidly changing profession.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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CPUT and the University of Karlstad in Sweden are collaborating on a new community-based research project with a focus on gender-based violence (GBV). 

Prof Penelope Engel-Hills, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences is the South African principal investigator on the study titled: Internationalisation for Knowledge Partnership and Social Transformation.

Funding for the project was received from the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT).
“Our project has two legs. One is community-based research with a focus on GBV and the other is capacity-building for improved research skills for postgraduate students, supervisors and researchers using the community-based research approach,” said Engel-Hills.

The research will be carried out in a community on the south peninsula.
“An NGO in the community has come on board and we’ll be working with women in the community to look at what the community responses are to gender-based violence.”
Engel-Hills said there were NGOs and ordinary residents in the community who were offering counselling, employment and other options for women who had been affected by GBV.

“There is a lot of work being done but what we understood from the community is that they would like to know what works and what more they can do. We want to try to drive change through research and model ways that communities can positively respond to violence. Once we’ve looked at all the options we’ll consider implementing a new idea in the community. It’s all about what is right for that community and what they want.”

In terms of capacity building, the project aims to develop skills in innovative research methods and promote ethical awareness that will enable research in communities.
“We will be running workshops. We have already run a pilot at CPUT for our postgraduate students and we’re looking at two things. The first is the ethical dimensions of research in communities such as this one. The second is methodology. So we’ll put experts together and to do the training innovative ways.”

Engel-Hills said the researchers were hoping that through gathering “living knowledge” they would be able to make a positive contribution to social transformation as researchers.
“For me, it’s about what do we do responsibly with the knowledge we build to change lives. That’s the competence we need to develop in postgraduate students in order to build a generation of young researchers who can really contribute to finding solutions to the problems in SA in a meaningful way.”

Researcher: Prof Engel-Hills

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Statistics on gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa are staggeringly high and universities are not immune to the scourge.

As part of its response, the Department of Higher Education and Training and HEAIDS is developing a standardised framework for GBV, which will eventually be implemented at all universities across South Africa.

CPUT is among the institutions who decided to take a stand against GB and an Institutional Position Statement on gender-based violence has been drafted.

The university’s new GBV policy should be launched in August.

The Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences has been proactive in starting to align staff members with the policy through a series of seminars that seek to unpack the interventions that have been or could be used to reduce gender-based violence in a particular health profession.

The seminars consider interventions that promote gender equality and that challenge accepted cultural norms that endorse violence against women and girls. It may include descriptions of how interventions have been implemented and evaluated in a variety of social contexts, including schools and community structures, and how these might be replicated and/or modified for use in a health profession. NGO partnerships provide the civil society responses of crisis intervention, advocacy and community of practice. The methodological rigour is supported by McMaster University’s National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools (Canada).

 “If we acknowledge that one in three women will be victims of abuse in their lifetime then the implication is that one in three female students or staff members may possibly be victims and reciprocally, that one in three males may be perpetrators,” says Dr Navindhra Naidoo, acting head of the Emergency Medical Sciences Department and one of several collaborators on the draft policy.

“We are putting the issue on our professional agendas. We are looking at what is our science, what is our agenda, what are the tools of our trade and how can we use the ‘tools’ of our proverbial ‘trade’ to be inclusive of gender-based violence.”

Prof Penelope Engel-Hills, Acting Dean of the Faculty, said the faculty was taking a critical look at how and whether the issue of GBV was being dealt with in the classroom and in the curriculum.

“We know that at least ten percent of reported rapes occur in Higher Education Institutions. We really feel that if we get our lecturers and researchers talking about this, together with our support staff, we can influence what happens at CPUT.”

 Naidoo said the issue of GBV affected all three of the university’s pillars of teaching and learning, research and community engagement.

“In terms of teaching and learning, if students are intimidated or in constant fear they cannot meaningfully study. Being free of violence is a social determinant of one's education. We need to ensure that we provide a safe environment to promote and protect one’s health and education rights.”

He said much of CPUT’s research did not deal with the socio-political context of violence.

“We need to get our respective professions more connected to our students’ lived realities.”

Naidoo said our campuses were not protected from and our processes not protective of the escalating frequency and brutality of GBV.

“…that’s why we need to do community engagement activities. We need to take the issue back to the community and say we as researchers have looked at this issue and we have the following policy recommendations so we can start influencing change. That’s how CPUT becomes an agent of change rather than a place where victims (and perpetrators) are ‘born’.”

Engel-Hills concurred: “Our research and our identity as being educators should work together and it must bring a positive influence in our communities”.

To read more about the policy, please click here: https://www.cput.ac.za/newsroom/news/article/3535/cput-takes-stand-against-gender-based-violence

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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The new Research Chair of CPUT’s Institute of Biomedical and Microbial Biotechnology (IBMB) plans to take the institute to the next level over the next five years.

Prof Jeanine Marnewick is no stranger to the IBMB, having previously served as co-chair to Prof Wentzel Gelderblom.

Marnewick, who also heads up the Oxidative Stress Research Centre in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences, made the headlines in 2011 when her clinical trial revealed that drinking six cups of rooibos per day holds definite health benefits, and specifically helps to reduce oxidative stress in the body and improves the cholesterol profile – all aspects that modulate the development of heart disease.

She said the Institute’s main focus this year would be a review process of the past five years and setting up a new five-year business plan. “The institute will be reviewed by international reviewers and with that, we will also devise the new business plan for the next five years. We have to see that the research we are doing is correctly focused. Apart from our own RTI (Research and Technology Innovation) blueprint, a big role player is the United Nations-driven sustainable development goals initiative. They recognise 17 goals that’s important for sustainability. We are aligning our research to these goals,” she said.

“I feel strongly that our research should be research that can be applied and not just research for the sake of doing research. Our communities have to benefit and that is our biggest driving force.”

The institute has six NRF-rated scientists, two of whom are B1 rated, and is encouraging all its researchers to obtain their rating, ensuring that postgraduate students have access to the best in the field.

“Our research output has also been very good over the past four years. We’ve had an average of about 20 journal articles per annum while conference attendance averaged about 15 national and 15 international conferences. We are always striving for a good balance, 1:1:1 between conferences and publications. We’ve grown international collaborations significantly, including with institutions in Hungary, France and Germany and the USA while we have established good relationships with local industry.”

For more on the IBMB go to http://www.cput.ac.za/research-technology-and-innovation/centres/ibmb

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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The Department of Nursing Science recognised the achievements and dedication of students during a recent awards ceremony.

Students received their distinguishing devices during the ceremony, which was held at the Auditorium on the Bellville campus, while those who have excelled were also acknowledged.

The keynote speaker was Lloyd Christopher, Acting Assistant Dean in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences.

Head of Department, Prof Karien Jooste, who initiated the awards, said learner nurses deliver person-centered care, keeping in mind developing as “Nurses for the Future”.

The ceremony was an effort to acknowledge the theory and clinical achievements of students and to motivate and encourage all of the students and will become an annual event.

This event also marked a milestone of having the first fourth-year learner nurses (new Bachelor of Nursing), and the fourth-years of the BTech Nursing Degree together to celebrate. The department offered the legacy programme (BTech) and introduced the new bachelor’s degree simultaneously, a first in South Africa.

Awards for outstanding academic performance during 2022 were made to:

• Naseera Salie
• Lazola Penxa
• Carlie Carlson
• Siyanda Ndikandika
• Nokwanda Magagula
• Zethu Katsikatsi
• Lizahnne Jean Fouche
• Shamelah Botha
• Monique Lavern Beukes
• Bongiwe Tshona
• Kelly-Anne Africa
• Etasha Coetzee
• Siyasamkela Hlwatika
• Sebrine Basson

The following outstanding students were also recognised.

• Leticia Da Silva - Displayed great care and compassion (first-year)
• Robyn Anthonie - Displayed excellent leadership qualities (second-year)
• Lizhanne Jean Fouche - Displayed great care and compassion (second-year)
• Sandra Kulondwa - Displayed admirable resilience (second-year)
• Kaylee Mashigo - Displayed excellent leadership qualities (third-year)
• Vuyokazi Mketshane - Displayed great care and compassion third-year
• Phakamani Sithole - Displayed excellent Leadership qualities (fourth-year)
• Thandile Tile - Displayed great Care and compassion (fourth-year)
• Sphamandla Ntshwanti - Displayed admirable resilience (fourth-year)

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Academics from the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences bagged two prizes – including best overall presentation – at the recent Society of Medical Laboratory Technology of South Africa (SMLTSA) Congress.

Nkosikho Sogwagwa, lecturer in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and the Faculty’s Extended Curriculum Programme co-ordinator, won the prize for the best overall presentation while senior lecturer, Dr Yvonne Prince, won the prize for the best presentation in Microbiology.

Sogwagwa said it was “truly an honour to have our work recognised by our professional peers”.

“Winning the best overall presentation at such a prestigious congress is a testament to the importance of understanding and adapting to the evolving landscape of education. It's a shared success, reflecting the dedication and collaboration of our team.”

The title of the presentation was 'Student perceptions of online assessments: An interdisciplinary study in undergraduate medical laboratory sciences and food science and technology.'

“It was a collaborative effort between myself from the Biomedical Sciences department in the Health and Wellness Faculty and Dr Vusi Mshayisa from the Food Science and Technology department of the Applied Sciences Faculty. We aimed to explore students' views on online assessment in both departments, shedding light on the intersection of technology and education.”

Prince said winning the Best Microbiology Presentation prize had been “an exceptional and humbling experience”.

Her presentation was titled: The link between the oral microbiota and metabolic syndrome.

“This achievement not only acknowledges my hard work and dedication but also reinforces my passion for microbiology and underscores the importance of effective scientific communication.

“This recognition significantly influences my future pursuits in the field of microbiology. It provides a surge of confidence and serves as a tangible testament to my success, undoubtedly opening doors to new opportunities. It bolsters my determination to make meaningful contributions to the field, knowing that my efforts are valued and acknowledged.

She said she would hold this accolade dearly throughout her career.

“I am brimming with gratitude for this acknowledgment and remain eager to continue pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the directors and staff at the SAMRC/CPUT Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit for their unwavering support in shaping me into the best scientist I can be. Additionally, I express my gratitude to the SMLTSA for their sponsorship of this prestigious award.”

The theme of the congress was: Next generation laboratory, a partnership in health.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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The Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences’ Life Science Revision project is growing from strength to strength, with nearly 200 matrics from three high schools joining in a recent revision session at CPUT.

The project was launched in 2018 by the Department of Emergency Medical Sciences’ Prof Kareemah Najaar, to help more learners achieve the minimum requirements to qualify for programmes in the science field.

Matric learners and teachers from Lavender Hill High School, Wynberg High School and Langa High School visited the Bellville Campus for the first revision session of the year, with 43 tutors volunteering to assist the learners.

The tutors included staff and students from all seven departments in the Faculty: Emergency Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Wellness Sciences, Nursing, Medical Imaging and Therapeutic Sciences, Ophthalmic Sciences and Dental Sciences and, for the first time, tutors from the Department of Medical Biosciences at the University of the Western Cape (UWC).

“Over the years, since its inception in 2018, this community project has grown in numbers and evolved in design, efficiency and leadership. What started as a project with myself and 15 tutors and one department supporting one high school with Life Science revision, now has a pool of approximately 100 tutor volunteers from seven FHWS departments as well as volunteers from UWC who are supporting three high schools,” said Najaar.

“I am also now part of a powerful leadership team, with Dr Wendy Solomon and Ms Marnel Germishuys, who work tirelessly to ensure the efficient planning and execution of each revision session. We are very proud of what has been termed as a Faculty Flagship.”

In previous years, a school would serve as the venue for the revision session, but this year learners were welcomed on campus, where they received valuable exposure to the institution.

Plans to expand the project are in the pipeline.

“Before the end of 2024, we intend inviting two additional schools from disadvantaged backgrounds in the Paarl district. We also intend to invite the Medical Biosciences Department, UWC to officially partner with us and continue to increase the number of adopted high schools.”

Najaar said a fundamental component of the project’s success was to use the feedback from the teachers and learners and adapting operations and revision content to their needs.

“I do believe that we have created a tutoring model that is able to adapt to various scenarios, from serious events such as the COVID-19 pandemic (when technology is not available to the disadvantaged) to an unexpected significant decrease in tutor numbers. The ever-adapting model ensures that the matric learners are provided with quality revision sessions in preparation for their final exams.”

Langa High School teacher, Nandipha Mandongana, said the project afforded learners the opportunity to revise topics that they may otherwise not have time for.

“The exposure to CPUT also serves as a motivation. They know what is expected of them in terms of their results if they want to make it (to CPUT) next year.”

Najaar said that in 2021 a significant component was added to the community project, that seeks to empower the young women in matric.

“In support of the national Sanitary Dignity Programme, we provide feminine hygiene products to the female students, in the hopes of making a small difference to the quality of education for young women.”

She thanked all role-players who contributed to the project’s success.

“We would always first give thanks to our tutors who volunteer their time and create a welcoming environment for the matric learners, without whom this project would not be possible. A warm thank you to our colleagues from UWC, who volunteered their time and skills. A heartfelt thank you to our teachers who provide us with the opportunity and guidance during the planning and execution of the revision sessions. We are also in appreciation for the received support from the Dean’s office as well as the Centre for Community Engagement and Work Integrated Learning, Service-learning division.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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More than 100 graduates recently celebrated their achievements during the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences’ Higher Certificate Graduation ceremony.

The ceremony, which was held at the Education Hall on the Bellville Campus, celebrated graduates who completed the Higher Certificate in Dental Assisting and the Higher Certificate in Emergency Medical Care in 2023.

Acting Assistant Dean, Dr Lloyd Christopher, welcomed the graduates and their loved ones and said the road the graduates had taken was challenging but they completed it and excelled.

“You’ve made a success of your time at CPUT and now you can inspire others to consider a university education because they have seen you succeed,” he said.

“What we would like to do is to take what you’ve learnt from us and do to good in small and big ways.”

Dental Assisting class representatives Radhiyah Fakier & Faaria Shaik acknowledged the support of their lecturers and congratulated their fellow graduates on their success.

EMS alumni Sergio Amos and Ashlee Alpes shared their experiences in the field and thanked the EMS staff members for the role they played in their lives.

“You can never go back to being the same person you were. This is a special department in that it changes you and you grow so much as a person and a practitioner. At this time, I want to commend the lecturers, the management and the staff of EMS,” said Alpes.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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