Dr Lungile Sosibo, from the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, has been awarded a National Research Foundation (NRF) grant to conduct an inter-varsity research project.

Sosibo will collaborate with researchers from CPUT, University of South Africa and the University of Venda to run training programs in Maths, Science, languages and ICT for senior phase teachers in South African schools.

Language experts from these universities will team up with Maths, Science and ICT experts to develop terminology glossaries in isiXhosa, isiZulu and tshiVenda for senior phase teachers.

“The project will focus on high schools in the Vhembe District of Limpopo,” says Sosibo who is the study’s principal investigator.

“We chose this district due to its rural nature as we assumed that its teachers may be incapacitated and lack teaching resources.”

The three-year-long project includes funding for a Masters or Doctoral student who will commence studies next year.

Sosibo says the project will yield many research outputs such as articles in accredited journals.

“The Department of Basic Education has developed glossaries for the intermediate phase, so by developing the same for the senior phase we are taking up from where it left off.”

Under the title, “Rethinking the teaching of Mathematics and Sciences in South African schools”, the project involves a team of 11 researchers, five of which come from CPUT.

The NRF has funded the project to the tune of almost R1million.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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A new book exploring issues of quality education in South Africa was recently launched at CPUT’s Mowbray Campus.

The book, “The search for quality education in post-apartheid South Africa: Interventions to improve learning and teaching,” was authored by academics, teachers and other role players in the education sector.

The book was co-edited by CPUT’s Prof Yusuf Sayed, the Research Chair in the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, Prof Anil Kanjee from Tshwane University of Technology and Prof Mokubung Nkomo from the University of Pretoria.

Sayed says the book, which is 448 pages long, is an attempt to map issues of quality.

“At one level the book is a catalogue of several attempts, successful and partially successful, to improve quality.”

CPUT’s Dean of the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, Prof Thobeka Mda, says the fact that the book had no section on what constitutes quality education itself affirmed its title as an ongoing process.

She says quality education requires trained teachers, adequate learning materials and environment that will foster quality delivery of education.

Other speakers were Nkomo, Kanjee and University of Cape Town’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof Crain Soudien.

The book was published by the Human Sciences Research Council Press.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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CPUT’s Mowbray Campus is the hub of teaching activities at CPUT and houses the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences.

The faculty produces the largest number of teaching graduates in the Western Cape every year, many of whom are now teaching at schools and Further Education and Training colleges throughout the country.

The campus is also home to the Department of Sports Management and the state-of-the-art Human Performance Laboratory. Having started operating in 2006, the lab is used for research purposes as well as to rehabilitate people with spinal cord injuries.

One of the people who are benefitting from the lab’s rehabilitation programme and therapy is Andrew Merryweather who suffered a severe injury to his spinal cord during a widely reported violent scuffle in 2006.

The Mowbray campus has benefitted from a major multi-million Rand revamp and now boasts new state-of-the-art lecture theatres, fully equipped laboratories and a research unit which are all accessible to students with mobility disabilities.

The first floor of Viljoenhof Residence houses a computer centre and students also have access to a wide range of sport facilities.

Maps and contact details for the Mowbray Campus

Written by Kwanele Butana
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