In his welcome address, Mr Motale Nkgoang, Regional Manager of the Eastern Cape Region, spoke extensively about the developments that have taken place at Unisa as well as the 140-year celebration of Unisa’s existence.

Some of the highlights he mentioned were the provision of quality services in an ethical manner, improvement of the student experience, enhancing student success, provision of effective teaching and graduateness of students.

Ms Amanda Tlale, Alumni Relations Manager who presided over the meeting, also thanked everyone for attending the meeting.

Graduation ceremonies at Unisa are always spectacular and worth attending. This year, messages from graduates  will be dedicated to celebrating 140-years of Unisa’s existence, 

Nonkululeko Nzimande, son of Higher Education and Training Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande graduated from the University on 3 April 2013. Click to here to read more…   

Dr Mantsose Sethusha was conferred the degree of Doctor of Education “I am honoured to be associated with Unisa, as a staff member, a researcher, and a former student. Unisa has indeed helped me shape my future. I am grateful for the support I received during my studies, and would like to mention a few people who contributed towards this success. I would like to extend a very big thank you to my supervisor, Prof Mutendwahothe Lumadi, and to Prof Peter Dzvimbo, Prof Oupa Lebeloane, Prof Steward Mothata, Prof Sello Mokoena for their continued support and encouragement, and for standing by me through difficult and trying times.  This shows that Unisa indeed has academics who have what it takes to be researchers and leaders! I will forever cherish the wonderful memories of my journey towards a doctorate at Unisa.Congratulations Unisa for turning 140 years! You are the number one university for me!” Dr Mantsose J Sethusha – Doctor of Education	Dr Garth Mason was conferred the Doctor of Literature and Philosophy degree “I am delighted to receive my DLitt et Phil in Religious Studies from Unisa. The degree contributes to deepening the value of diversity and multicultural understanding in South Africa. Unisa’s commitment to education of democratic values is what attracted me to doing the degree at Unisa. The 140 years of Unisa’s existence as a University is testament to its irrefragable contribution to the country’s educational development.” Dr Garth Mason – Doctor of Literature and Philosophy
Dr Lawrence Mapaire received the Doctor of Education degree “Unisa is a global university that provides academic empowerment and exellency to all. Congratulations to Unisa for reaching 140 years of providing unlimited education to all. I personally salute Unisa for my academic achievement. I successfully completed my doctoratoral degree in Education Management with undivided support from the highly qualified staff and well organised study material. I would not be where I am today had it not been of Unisa.” Dr Lawrence Mapaire – Doctor of Education

Students at the Registration Building at the Sunnyside Campus in Pretoria

Even though teaching and learning form the very core of each college at Unisa, we interview Prof Louis van Niekerk, Manager of Teaching and Learning within the College of Education in order to find out more about the way the department is continuing to shape the development of the teacher education students at the University,  writes Busisiwe Mahlangu.

At the launch of the College of Education in March 2012, it was indicated that Unisa has one of the largest teacher education footprints in the country and  has always been at the forefront of training and development in the education sector.

This has mapped the way for current developments in the new teacher education curricula. According to Prof van Niekerk the main focus of teaching and learning within the College is to renew, review and develop new curricula reflecting the latest developments in teacher education in line with policies developed by government and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). The College hopes to implement these plans by 2015.

“What will be a major development, though, is in the use of technology which would be more apparent in the way we do

Prof Louis J van Niekerk, Manager: Teaching and Learning, College of Education

things. This includes finding alternative ways of assessing students at non-venue exams through the use of portfolios and online assessments,” says Prof van Niekerk.

The University has also adopted a paperless work environment and is gradually moving towards the use of technology, such as the internet, ipads, tablets and smartphones. These will be used together with the integration of new programmes into new curricula on offer.

New curricula are also being offered through online tutoring. Online tutoring for all first-year modules has been introduced in 2013 and will be extended to other year levels as from next year. A tutor is allocated groups of 200 students, and these groups form discussion forums.

Although still at its infancy stage, e-tutoring is already receiving a positive response from students in a number of modules. Prof van Niekerk attributes this to provision of support to those students who do not have an opportunity to attend face-to-face classes. “However, the College will still continue to run face to face tutoring at all the Unisa regional offices. It is in these classes that we require or wish to create an environment that encourages student participation in order for them to fully become part of their learning.”

Prof van Niekerk also highlighted the fact that the implementation of these systems is not done in isolation but rather through a practical stakeholder engagement process. In this regard, he mentioned that the university is implementing these programmes in partnership with overseas universities.  “The University is currently offering a master’s qualification in open distance learning (ODL) with University of Nebraska College of Medicine (UMNC). A team from Unisa will also be visiting Cambridge University in June this year to jointly develop a programme in Mathematics, Science and inclusive education using Open Education Resources (OERs).”

“In all of this, our students are paying attention to the quality of the material we provide for them and we in turn appreciate the input they make in order to shape the future of the University,” says Prof van Niekerk.

Ms Sharon Bacon, Alumnus of the month

Sharon has completed her internship with the eThekwini Municipality in 2010 and says that it was an awesome experience, working with people from all works of life, attending celebrative functions and interacting with high ranking officials, from other international countries as well as from locally. She had the privilege of working closely with and grabbing the lime light with the City of Durban’s former mayor, Obed Mlaba, the Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini and the President of South Africa, Mr Jacob Zuma to name a few.

Ms Bacon works for the South African Revenue Services (SARS) as a Quality Assessor at the National Contact Centre. She never lets her disability hinder her success in life as she is involved in many other activities beside her work.

Being a public relations officer at heart she practices it for her social group, the Phoenix Light Group which is based in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal as she is in charge of the community newsletter. It doesn’t end there! She also writes articles for the Sars monthly newsletter and her readers are taken aback by the content and quality of her articles. 

Ms Bacon concedes though that living with a disability in any form is a challenge and conducting her studies through the University was not an easy task. “Blind people are not necessarily provided with study material that is user friendly and I have written exams twice already and found that we had to record the exams.”

She attributes her success to God and her loving and supportive family who have always encouraged her in the activities she has undertaken.

She believes that through her writing and maxim of living positively and taking the bull by the horns, she will work for the South African Parliament one day as she is used to interacting with people who work for government. “I would like to see myself as part of the communications team in less than five years,” she says.

Students during a face-to-face class at the Pretoria Learning Centre

The Integrated Learner Support Programme is dedicated to Unisa students, and aims to  increase students’ success and pass rates. The South Africa Survey issued by the SA Institute for Race Relations states that Unisa is South Africa’s most productive university  with approximately 350 000 enrolled students.

Moreover, Unisa awards a total of 12.5% of all degrees in the country according to a draft document on Unisa’s Advancement Strategy 2012-2015: “Access and Success”.

Most importantly, one of the tenants of improving students’ success rates at Unisa is in the provision of tutorial services. Prof Matshepo Matoane, Director of Instructional Support and Services (DISS) in the Department of Tuition and Facilitation of Learning, spells out that student support in an ODL context is not only about being student-centred, but also about bridging the distance between the students and their learning environment.

“The programme is also about influencing the student success rate by bridging the gap between students and academics and students as well as among the students themselves. We often find that students study in isolation and with the support that we offer they are able to have a rich learning experience especially when they learn with other students.”

Simply put, the Integrated Tutor Model is a strategy aimed at addressing the Unisa 2015 strategic objective 6.5, which reads as follows:  “to establish service-orientated, technology-enhanced learner support to increase retention and throughput”. This is done by ensuring that there is effective planning, coordinated delivery, evaluation and quality assurance in tutorial services.

Prof Matoane elaborates this point further by saying that the role of the tutor has been brought to the fore.

Prof Matoane is the Director of Instructional Support and Services

“Previously,” she says, “tutorial services were seen as an add-on to teaching and learning, but with the introduction of the Integrated Tutor Model, tutorials are integrated into teaching and learning from the point of course design to course delivery”.

 Unisa offers tutorial support both through face to face and online mediums (through the use of e-tutors). The introduction of the e-tutor system has also added to the greening of the environment by going paperless. The system is currently rolled out in phases and this year, NQF level 5 will benefit from the roll out proceeding to NQF level 6 in 2014 and NQF level7 in 2015.

Prof Matoane says that face-to-face tutoring will still continue for modules categorised as ‘high risk’ and those that are called ‘barriers to graduation’. “We might end up with a situation where face-to-face tutoring will continue taking place concurrently with e-tutoring for as long as these categories of modules continue to exist at Unisa, as the aim is to promote student success.”

“Evidently, the scope is very big and we must continue to improve the pass and throughput rates that we pride ourselves with at the University. Alumni of the University can play a vital role in this process as they can become part of the programme in order for it to thrive.”

She concludes by challenging alumni to take up their key role in acting as tutors as they themselves have been through the system. “They have the experience of learning at a distance and are therefore in a better position to support the students as they can relate to their learning experiences. It only makes sense for us to tap into that vast pool of alumni we have as a University, this will also serve to create development and career-pathing opportunities for our own alumni.”

Ms Thoko Didiza’s work experience is vast, as her career began early in her life in 1985 while on a three-month contract at a recruitment agency. Things soon began moving rapidly for her as she occupied positions of influence in the varied fields of youth and women, the legal world and, lastly, politics.

Prior to her entry into government, she worked for three months in a recruitment agency and later went on to work as a receptionist and legal secretary at Mafika Mbuli and Co, a law firm in Durban. From then on she worked as a receptionist at the Diakonia an Ecumenical Church organisation.

“I moved within the ranks and became the Programme Officer for the Social Action Network . The work entailed mobilising churches around the Durban area to take up social issues that affected their communities. In 1989, I joined the South African Council of World Affiliated YWCA as its National Youth Coordinator. As part of my involvement in women and youth activities, I served as a representative of the YWCA in the SACC Women’s Ministries forum. I was also a member of the National Youth Coordinating Committee (NYDCC) and was part of the founders of the young women’s network. I also worked at Diakonia’s Social Action Network and was the co-ordinator of the National Youth Programme.”

Her notable achievements include facilitating the International Youth Leadership Training in Oslo, Norway, in 1992, being an alternative member of the Executive SACC and a member of Council of the National Youth Development Forum in 1993. She served as an executive member of the SACC development and training ministries in 1993 and was a Young Global Leader in 2005.

Being part of the activism towards the upliftment of women culminated in contributing to the drafting of the Women’s Charter. The Charter focused on equality and what women wanted to see in South Africa. This, in Ms Didiza’s opinion, formed the core of her interest and work and through her achievements, the upliftment of women was realised.

Another issue where she was able to make an impact was in the development of youth. As part of the NYDCC’s work with various youth formations, they were able to raise the issue of youth marginalisation on the national agenda. A national conference was convened by the Joint Education Trust to highlight the plight of young people who, at the time, felt on the margins of society. It is the resolutions of this conference and many other initiatives that laid the basis for the need to develop a national youth development strategy which later gave rise to the national youth development policy.

Incredibly, when she entered parliament of the South African government in 1994, the ruling party, the ANC, appointed her as the Deputy Minister of Agriculture.  In 1997 she served on the National Executive Committee of the ANC. In 1999, she was appointed the Minister of Agriculture and Land and served in this position until 2006.  It was during that year she was appointed Minister of Public Works, a position she resigned from in 2008. She served both under the Leadership of former Presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki.

“Age to me was not a problem. I was young as compared to the other people when I was appointed into these positions of great responsibility and accountability. What humbled me the most though was the fact that Former Presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki saw that I could contribute to the developing future of South Africa.  Age did not deter me from my interest in political issues as I was always conscious about making a contribution to uplift that status of society.

“I made a choice whilst still in high school that I am going to change the conditions of our people. Our people lived and worked in bitter conditions. The impact of apartheid knew no age and in my view, the consequences of such a regime affected us equally. Similarly, it was the ANC policies that appealed to me to change our country and liberalise South Africa.”

When she began her work in the agricultural sector, she was met with a few challenges as she had little knowledge of the sector. According to her, the responsibility of giving political leadership in a sector that was generally perceived as male dominated  came with challenges as well as opportunities.

“Issues of culture and perception about women’s capabilities in public office were at times reflected by different constituencies. It became inevitable that if one had to succeed, a better appreciation and understanding of the sector was important.”

Secondly, engaging with various constituencies within the sector was important to understand concerns, but also for them to understand government policy and the underlying reasons for taking particular decisions in government. Thirdly, retaining a professional relationship with the administration as a policy maker was important to ensure that they too understand the policy imperatives that had to be taken from time to time, while they also express and give sound professional advise on issues of the sector.”

“Given that this was a transition, it became necessary to ensure that there is synergy between administrative officials who were perceived to be from the old order and those who are new. Building a team was one of the critical tasks that had to be fulfilled. And at all times, I was guided by the Constitution of South Africa in order to provide for our people.”

Although born to parent teachers, it was not until she was working in parliament that she was able to put herself through university. This, she says, was due to the low income that her parents earned which propelled her to look at what she could do after finishing high school.

She finally registered for a secretarial course which opened doors to studying journalism, human resources and later financial management. She obtained a BA degree in Sociology and Politics and later an honours degree in Politics through Unisa.

Ms Didiza confirms the importance of empowering oneself with education. For her, gaining and understanding theoretical and practical knowledge to excel in her work was a vital anchor in transforming the agricultural sector. She understood that part of what forms the economics of the country is agriculture in its diversity.

Throughout Ms Didiza’s achievements, her loving family was by her side. “The support from my mother, husband and children meant that I was able to balance my work life with that of my family. I studied with my children while they were doing their homework. I could not fail and neither could they.”

When she resigned from government in 2008, Ms Didiza was enlisted to the position of project manager for the Archie Mafeje Institute for Applied Social Policy Research (AMRI). It is a policy research institute established in 2011, based at Unisa, and is dedicated to promoting the legacy of Archie Mafeje.

Ms Didiza values her work experience garnered through the years in government. She suggests that government and Unisa are not far removed from each other in terms of what they stand for. Her attraction to the university stems from its beliefs, policies, vision of the institution, self-development, to mention but a few.

She’s an inspiration to many and will utilise her leadership skills to chart the way forward for the AMRI. She ended the interview by motivating alumni to adopt the notion of hard work in whatever they do.

“Believe that we have to serve humanity, service and volunteer in order to help the good of society. If you do that, issues of respect, honesty and integrity will be paramount.”

The meeting was aimed at garnering support for, and membership of the Unisa Alumni Association by alumni. The Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Unisa, Prof Mandla Makhanya, was there to talk to alumni about university developments.

As at the Durban breakfast meeting, Prof Mandla Makhanya’s address was based on encouraging alumni to empower themselves by studying further so that their qualifications could become relevant to the present market and its requirements.

Prof Mogege Mosimege, the University Registrar, informed alumni that they were critical stakeholders as they have a major role to play within the university.

Ms Amanda Tlale, Alumni Relations Manager, further highlighted the mandate given to Alumni Relations by university management and stipulated the expectations from the university. The role that alumni could play in terms of sustaining the chapter in the region was further emphasised.

Mauritius elective breakfast meeting
The Unisa Alumni Chapter breakfast meeting was held on Saturday 10 November 2012, at the Hilton Mauritius Hotel and Resort, Mauritius.

The main purpose of the meeting was to elect a new chapter convenor, and to mobilise alumni. Mr Cally Cherubin won by 24 votes and was elected convenor.

The University Registrar, Prof Mogege Mosimege, informed alumni that they were the critical stakeholders of the university and highlighted the role they should play.

Ms Amanda Tlale spoke about the mobilisation of alumni, the expectations from the university, the role that the alumni could play in terms of sustaining the chapter in the region, and the mandate given to the Alumni Directorate by university management.

This years was just as informative. Mr David Farirai, the Director of Unisa Foundation and Alumni Relations, Deputy Director of the department, Mr Frankie Mojapelo, as well as Prof Susan Pienaar of Community Outreach, made presentations on key priority activities that the university has undertaken and its future plans.

This is part of a pledge to keep alumni informed of what the university is doing. This in turn is meant to broaden their knowledge about the university and to include Convenors in the activities of the university.

Ms Amanda Tlale, Manager of Alumni Relations

The Unisa Alumni Chapter breakfast meeting was held on Saturday 20 October 2012, at the Southern Sun Hotel, North Beach, in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

The main purpose of the meeting was to enable Prof Mandla Makhanya, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Unisa and guest speaker to the breakfast, to present to the meeting the developments of the university and to further mobilise alumni to join the Unisa Alumni Association.

In his speech, Prof Makhanya encouraged alumni to equip themselves by registering for lifelong learning programmes so that their qualifications become relevant to the present market.

Ms Amanda Tlale, Manager of Alumni Relations, emphasised the role that alumni could play in sustaining the chapter in the Cape region as well the office’s mandate given to Alumni Relations by university management.

Alumni expressed their appreciation to the Principal for taking the time to share university developments with them.

Prof Mandla Makhanya, Unisa Vice-Chancellor and Principal giving an address at the event

]]> http://www.unisa.ac.za/alumni-news/index.php/2012/11/durban-breakfast-meeting/feed/ 0 http://www.unisa.ac.za/alumni-news/index.php/2012/11/sustainable-transportation-in-the-green-era/ http://www.unisa.ac.za/alumni-news/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/sustainability_s1.jpg Climate change requires that we take care of the environment we live in. It also dictates that we take stock of human behaviour that can adversely impact the environment. http://www.unisa.ac.za/alumni-news/index.php/2012/11/sustainable-transportation-in-the-green-era/#comments Thu, 29 Nov 2012 10:10:34 +0000 Busisiwe Mahlangu http://www.unisa.ac.za/alumni-news/?p=1191 Prof Kevin Mearns of the Department of Environmental Sciences at Unisa

Sustainable transport (or green transport) refers to any means of transport with low impact on the environment, and

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Prof Kevin Mearns of the Department of Environmental Sciences at Unisa

Sustainable transport (or green transport) refers to any means of transport with low impact on the environment, and includes non-motorised transport, ie walking and cycling, transit oriented development, green vehicles, car-sharing, and building or protecting urban transport systems that are fuel-efficient, space-saving and promote healthy lifestyles. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_transport)

The meaning of sustainability is often incorrectly used and most people refer to it as profit generation. The simplest definition of sustainability is: “Sustainability is a concept that captures our ability to keep something going, any sort of societal practice or practice that a business, industry, or community does.” (wiki.answers.com › … › Definitions and Word Differences)

For Prof Kevin Mearns of the Environmental Science Department at the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at Unisa, sustainability has a simpler meaning. He says that sustainability is doing things by looking to the future.

“Sustainability is a better way of doing things by looking to the future so that our children will also be able to benefit from what we have today. It is also our obligation as people to take responsibility for our actions and how we impact the environment.”

Estimates are that there are 8 774 349 million cars in a population of 51 million. And an alarming  suggestion before the introduction of the Gautrain was that there were 160 000 cars on the highway between Pretoria and Johannesburg daily.

Sustainable transportation as the focus is about mass transportation, which is one of the solutions to the negative impact transportation has on the environment.

According to Prof Mearns, sustainable transportation is becoming a reality as its grasp can be seen on our doorstep. Many countries globally, such as the US, Australia, Japan and Britain, have implemented sustainable transportation. Japan is advanced in technology and thus uses modes such as bicycle travel, transport share and electric-drive vehicles, to mention a few. Countries in Europe have also introduced high-speed trains and other modes of transport to alleviate congestion issues.

In the green era, plans to implement sustainable transportation in South Africa were also hurried along by the hosting of the Soccer World Cup in 2010. The country had to be ready to ferry tourists to their various destinations during the event.

Gauteng (the economic hub of the country) introduced the Gautrain (rapid rail service) in 2006 which became fully operational in June 2011. The Gautrain is intended to reduce traffic between the cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg. The system is said to be beneficial to the environment as there will be a reduction in the carbon footprint.

The Bus Rapid Transit Service (BRT) is widely used around the world in countries such as Europe, Japan, Australia, Brazil and the US.  It is meant to provide faster, quality and efficient service than ordinary buses. The BRT is widely used in Johannesburg and Tshwane. The City of Cape Town, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Mangaung and Rustenburg in the North West are all implementing BRT systems.

According to Prof Mearns, there are three fundamental points in transport sustainability. The first is the environmental impact, the economic impact and the social impact. To have a transportation system that strives towards sustainability, we have to take all three of these fundamental aspects of sustainability into account when transportation decisions are made.

“To further reduce costs, people have to plan their journey to include more than one purpose. It is called travel with a purpose. To reduce travel, people are nowadays using electronic methods to communicate. Social media, skype and e-mail are methods which make it possible for people to not have to travel. Certain retail shops have made it possible for people to purchase groceries online.”

Prof Mearns concluded the interview by sketching a scenario about how the university can adopt mass transportation. He says that sustainability initiatives have to start at home and within the university.

“The university has large staff and student numbers that converge on the main campus daily. Shuttles are used daily to transport staff to the campus which I think can be solved with the provision of mass transportation as well as the creation of bus links for other people. We can also have a campaign for staff to buy into mass transportation in order to use BRT and the Gautrain. Many people will in future also benefit from Gautrain’s expansion to other areas previously without the service.”

 

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