​​​Stellenbosch University (SU) has entered into an exciting working agreement with the Independent Examinations Board's international arm (IEB-International) to quality-assure an Africa-centred school-leaving qualification that will be introduced internationally.

IEB-International is a subdivision of the Independent Examinations Board (IEB), a South African non-profit. The IEB is an internationally respected board that conducts assessments for school-leavers in the independent school sector, including the South African National Senior Certificate (NSC), which has, until 2021, been offered in other Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries as well.

However, as recent changes in national regulations prevent the IEB-NSC from being offered outside South Africa, neighbouring countries that had been offering the NSC needed an alternative, comparable qualification and curriculum. To fill this gap, IEB-International has developed the IEB International Secondary Certificate (IEB-ISC). The qualification is Africa-centred, of a high quality, and internationally comparable.

Available from 2022, the IEB-ISC has been evaluated by Universities South Africa (USAf). This means that international candidates who obtain the qualification with merit or at an advanced level, and are offered a place at a South African higher education institution, will have met the minimum requirements for admission to degree programmes. In addition, the IEB has engaged UK Ecctis (previously known as UK NARIC) – who represents the United Kingdom in all international qualification matters – to benchmark the qualification and specific subject curricula internationally.

Yet, in terms of its mandate, South Africa's national authority for basic education quality assurance may not quality-assure an international school-leaving qualification outside South African borders. Hence SU was approached. In terms of the agreement, SU's Unit for International Credentialing (SU-UIC), housed in SU International's Africa Centre for Scholarship (ACS), will play a key part in quality-assuring the IEB-ISC. This includes establishing and maintaining consistent, appropriate academic standards in individual subject areas, verifying that the IEB has applied appropriate quality assurance processes to conduct credible annual examinations, and ensuring that the certification is authentic and free from manipulation.

An ISC quality assurance governance committee has met twice already. The committee will oversee the quality assurance of key IEB-ISC processes, the ISC-related work of the SU-UIC, as well as the functioning of the two working committees charged with curriculum and assessment, and standardisation respectively. The governance committee is chaired by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Strategy, Global and Corporate Affairs, Prof Hester Klopper, and comprises nationally renowned educationalists and leaders from basic and higher education, as well as former curriculum and assessment policymakers.

Quality-assuring the ISC offers SU a unique opportunity to be part of pioneering work with regard to international school-leaving qualification alternatives on the continent. The University is proud to be able to contribute to an affordable, African-centred approach to curricula and assessment.

• For more information, visit www.sun.ac.za/SU-UIC and www.iebiq.com/pages/aboutus.
  

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​Stellenbosch University (SU) will host an online language colloquium for public universities this week. The Colloquium on the New Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions takes place from 28-29 September 2021 under the auspices of Universities South Africa (USAf) and is a joint project with USAf's Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of African Languages (CoPAL) and SU.

Speakers include Justice Albie Sachs, retired Judge of the South African Constitutional Court, and vice-chancellors of, amongst others, the Universities of Stellenbosch, Cape Town and the Free State as well as Rhodes University.

It is the first in a series of events to be hosted by universities on the New Language Policy for Higher Education, which was gazetted in October 2020. Vice-chancellors and deputy vice-chancellors will gather with experts and other stakeholders to contemplate ways to implement the policy.

According to USAf, the Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions “has brought the language question sharply to the fore. Higher education institutions have developed university language policies, but there is a significant need for key stakeholders in the sector to deepen their understanding of the Language Policy Framework and the implementation thereof".

Dr Sizwe Mabizela, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Rhodes University and the Chairperson of USAf's Teaching and Learning Strategy Group, said: “We must take the language policy from the periphery that it occupies within our institutions and place it at the centre of vice-chancellors' strategic outlook. This is central to acknowledging the diversity of our students on our institutions. We also need to instil a sense of pride in our own languages and convey a message to our children, of the importance of English, but lift all other languages to the same level as important media of communication for our thoughts and ideas. Our people must enjoy seeing their languages being respected. Language also builds a nation."

Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector of SU, welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with other universities. “We are looking forward to participating in this important conversation, and to gaining insights from colleagues and experts from other institutions. At SU we are aware of the challenges and opportunities surrounding the implementation of a language policy, how it aligns itself with the Language Policy for Higher Education, and the fierce debate it creates. And we welcome this debate. Collaboration is key. Our honest conversations can lead to solutions. Through actions like these we can come to a deeper understanding of the value of multilingualism," he said.

SU's Language Policy advances multilingualism, considering “the diversity of our society and the intellectual wealth inherent in that diversity".

Topics at the colloquium include Framing the New Language Policy for Higher Education within the South African Constitution; The role of language in transforming the higher education institutions; The New Language Policy Framework as responsive to the imperatives of student access and student success; The challenges in the implementation of the New Language Policy for Higher Education; The opportunities presented by the New Language Policy Framework in reimaging the idea of a university in Africa; and Transforming the academy using African languages as enablers.

Language Day

In celebration of the opportunities and possibilities that multilingualism hold, the Division for Learning and Teaching Enhancement at SU is once again hosting its Language Day, on 30 September, for staff and students.

The theme this year is 'Language, learning, life! Implementing multilingualism @SU in academic and social spaces. Language Day is not about the Language Policy itself, but focuses on how language is approached at SU.

The two sub-themes highlighted this year are Multilingualism in (augmented remote) learning, teaching and assessment; and, Multilingualism in administrative, social and living spaces.

“We will discuss ways to integrate a multilingual mindset in teaching, learning and assessment as well as in social life outside the classroom. The two panel discussions with subsequent breakaway group discussions will give SU staff and students the opportunity to make their voices heard, share best practice and try to find solutions to challenges together," explains Dr Antoinette van der Merwe, Senior Director: Learning and Teaching Enhancement. 

“We believe that multilingualism is about more than just being able to use multiple languages. It is about giving people a voice, regardless of the language(s) they use.

• Click here for a video about Lan​guage Day

​Despite being forced to close its doors from 26 March until 21 June in 2020, the Stellenbosch University Law Clinic still managed to provide access to legal services for close to 1 000 individuals. Assistance was provided in various legal fields, which was facilitated through legal practitioners employed at the clinic and through the Faculty of Law students under the supervision of these practitioners.

In 2020, the Law Clinic assisted the greatest number of clients with eviction matters in the Western Cape. Ninety-five client files relating to eviction problems were opened, with a total of 120 matters of clients being finalised and simultaneously 200 pending files being worked on. The clinic successfully finalised 26 eviction applications, either by reaching mutually acceptable agreements that were made court orders or by successfully opposing eviction applications. Since the beginning of 2020, to date a total a total of 36 families were successfully assisted with their relocations from farms in Stellenbosch, Paarl, Simondium and Wellington. 

The Financial Literacy Project (FLP), a collaboration between the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, is aimed at equipping members of the community with financial skills that will enable them to make informed decisions that will be advantageous to their economic wellbeing. The FLP provides community members with fundamental financial concepts to assist them in their financial endeavours and involves student volunteers from Financial Planning 378 and the Law of Civil Procedure modules. During 2019 and 2020, students in groups of 3–4 provided training sessions to farm workers and high school learners. In 2019, 29 presentations were delivered to 879 high school learners and approximately 650 farm workers on 8 farms were visited. In 2020, during the hard lockdown, the in-person approach was converted to a digital one. Instead of visiting schools and farms, each group of students received 2 topics on which to prepare a video or PowerPoint presentation for both school learners and farm workers. These efforts culminated in a financial literacy package comprising different financial literacy topics such as the Consumer Protection Act and How to Distinguish Between Wants and Needs. The financial literacy package was delivered in various languages to eleven 11 schools and 18 farms and organisations. 

The FLP also forms part of other training initiatives offered at the Law Clinic, such as the Women's Empowerment Toolbox workshop in which 43 Somerset West community members participated. The workshop focussed on various issues such as discrimination and sexual harassment. 

Throughout 2021, each student group is required to produce a concept concerning the teaching of a particular financial literacy topic. A list of topics, target audiences and instructional media from which each group will make a selection is provided. For example, a group may choose the topic The Importance of Budgeting aimed at a specific audience, such as primary school learners, to be delivered in the form of posters. 

The FLP hopes to reach an increasingly larger segment of the community through different media platforms, considering the COVID-19 pandemic and our students' restricted access to meeting in person. Through the adoption of this approach, we hope to build up resources to further educate different and larger communities in the future. 

Another example of an initiative under the auspices of the FLP is the design, publication and dissemination of the A3 calendar, which is printed and distributed on a large scale to communities in the Cape Winelands area. The calendar contains tips for managing one's finances. In addition, an A3 information sheet containing more detailed tips for managing one's finances has been created and distributed throughout these communities. 

The Law Clinic has conducted various training and empowerment initiatives over the past year, including the Women's Empowerment Toolbox workshop and constitutional rights-based training. At the beginning of December 2020, the clinic presented a Legislative Training workshop to members of the Witzenberg Water for Justice Coalition in Bella Vista. Material that specifically accompanied the workshop and that was also intended for use in the future was developed and prepared in English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa. 

Various exciting collaborations between the Law Clinic and key role players are in place with a view to effectuating social impact, inter alia, through training and empowerment. Towards the latter part of 2020, Black Sash, which is one of South Africa's foremost human rights organisations, approached the clinic to collaborate on a potential high-impact matter. The mission of Black Sash is to work towards the realisation of socio-economic rights as outlined in the South African Constitution with an emphasis on social security and social protection for the most vulnerable to reduce poverty and inequality. During September 2020, Black Sash released a research report titled Social Grants: Challenging Reckless Lending in South Africa. The report demonstrates how South Africa's extensive social grant system that was meant to provide resources to the poor has been abused to serve as collateral for debt granted on exploitative terms and conditions. The report ultimately advocates for urgent remedial action, including legislative alignment, stricter enforcement of existing restrictions on predatory lending and improved financial education. In Black Sash's efforts to give effect to the findings and the recommendations of the report, it identified the Law Clinic as the organisation with the necessary legal expertise in debt justice to assist in this important and ongoing project. 

During the time when the Law Clinic had to close its doors, the clinic decided to launch a social media campaign to create awareness regarding certain rights and obligations of relevance in the current circumstances. Various Facebook and website posts were made relating to the clinic's fields of expertise but also regarding other matters, for example labour-related legal advice and information. 

Dr Mary Nel is head of the Ubuntu Learning Community Project, which is an educational partnership between Stellenbosch University and the Department of Correctional Services. In 2020, a 17-session interdisciplinary short course to be presented in Brandvlei Correctional Centre was planned. The course incorporated insights from history, economics, art and music, English and law. The participants included 20 Stellenbosch University students and the same number of incarcerated persons. Unfortunately, after the first month, COVID-19 forced the termination of the face-to-face sessions. In September 2020, Dr Nel finally managed to re-enter Brandvlei Correctional Centre to meet with the incarcerated participants. She further obtained permission to start planning a series of online engagements in the form of seminars, workshops and meetings for the incarcerated participants from the 2019 and 2020 Ubuntu Learning Short Course cohorts. They also held a very successful in-person creative writing workshop behind bars in October 2020. 

It was decided that due to the ongoing COVID-19-related concerns, it would not be prudent to recommence with the short course in 2021. Instead, a series of online seminars was planned in consultation with the participants. The planning of online interaction with incarcerated participants took longer than expected, but by March 2021, the infrastructure and permission to commence were in place. The first session entailed a very fruitful and inspiring interaction between incarcerated participants and a formerly incarcerated Unisa lecturer. It took place recently, with a series of sessions coming up over the next few months. These will entail both experts, for example Constitutional Court Justice Edwin Cameron, now Prison Inspector, addressing and engaging with participants and outside Ubuntu Learning participants from past years interacting with those behind bars. While these sessions are only envisaged as an alternative until the face-to-face short course can recommence, the online interactions initiated by the COVID-19 restrictions are another example of the innovation of the Ubuntu Learning initiative. The online meetings between Stellenbosch University and outside participants and those behind bars are a first for South Africa.

The social impact initiatives of the Faculty of Law are encouraging as these are evident of the faculty's commitment to making a difference in society"

​

It was her father, Bruce, owner of a successful sign-writing business in Salt River during apartheid, who taught Nadia Sanger to ask questions. He taught her to treat marginalised people gently, and to feed stray cats and dogs.

All this while cultivating thinking that kicks against the norm.

Bruce's teaching-by-example would come to shape her career as a feminist scholar. Today as a senior lecturer in English Studies at Stellenbosch University, Sanger teaches and writes about race, gender and class.

However, this feminist is not in favour of blanket “men are trash" campaigns, saying that deeper reasons behind violent male behaviour need to be explored and addressed. She puts forward that a major cause of such violence is inequality driven by histories of racism and white capitalism. Thus, a lack in options for imagining and creating better lives – for some.

In a working-class suburb, Sanger grew up in an atheist home, in stark contrast to her conservative Muslim and Christian neighbours.

“He [Bruce Sanger] respected the anti-individualist positioning encouraged by working-class activism, and enjoyed the sharing of resources," says Sanger. “But as we grew older, girls becoming women, we struggled to fit in. Our mother tried to sway her husband into buying a house in a more central, middle-class area. But no. He maintained we would benefit from this ordinary, working-class life, that we could learn by living every day with pragmatic people."

In a poignant autobiographical paper on her father's death in 2016 – one year after her son was born – Sanger reflects on her father's role as her primary intellectual nurturer, debunking stereotypical perceptions around black masculinity and violence in South Africa.

She recalls how her baby was suckling as Bruce, bent crooked with arthritis and later alcohol, was hospitalised for the last time.

“I work hard at protecting my four-year-old [now six-year-old] son from the assumption that he will become a damage-doing man. Because he is darker-skinned, and male, he is especially vulnerable to the stereotypical assumptions. He is expected to fail – at being intelligent or thoughtful; at being not-violent," she writes in her 2020 paper called Bending Bodies, Signing Words: Reshaping a Father and a Feminist Practice, published in the Routledge journal a/b: Auto/Biography Studies.

“These assumptions nag at me, anger me, sadden me, because they feel out of place. But these emotions also drive me, purposefully, toward creating new words, images, signs that trouble old feminist languages, helping to reshape and unbend the harmful, damaging narratives scripted for black men, especially in a persistently raced South Africa."

Sanger is one of five Ubuntu Dialogues Seminar Fellows participating in the Ubuntu Dialogues Project, jointly hosted by Stellenbosch University Museum and Michigan State University's African Studies Centre.

In September, in a webinar hosted by the Project entitled Being-With-Others: Reflections on White Individualism and Male Violence as Anti-Ubuntu Practice, Sanger told the audience that while she did not have clear answers, it is important to unpack these issues.

In a later interview, speaking from her home in Muizenberg, she points out how inequality is a primary driver of violent behaviour in under-privileged communities around the world.

“I think that all the research points to the fact that where there are high rates of inequality, in countries like South Africa, Brazil, Venezuela, and so on, there will be people who are frustrated about not having enough to live on," she says. “Or comparing themselves, naturally, to those who do have more. I mean in Cape Town, the inequalities are so stark. Poor areas alongside very wealthy areas, just across the street."

She adds: “I am not a violence theorist, but I am trying to understand violence in our country. When people get angry and hurt somebody else, why do they do that? A lot of the research keeps coming back to deep inequalities, a lack of education – how it becomes harder and harder for people to imagine a better life.

“I'm not saying all people who live in apartheid dumping grounds are violent people. I am saying that we do have high rates of violence. The primary perpetrators of violence are men. I am saying, we need to try to understand it better. I'm not for these 'men are trash' campaigns. I'm interested in how we understand and then stop this? How do we live better lives? How do we move away from violence?"

Furthermore, she says that white individualism allows “white South Africans, through undeserved privilege – with the latter wrongfully being understood as individual merit – to maintain racial and economic inequalities."

Sanger's latest research has led her to believe that Ubuntu could offer a framework from where to counter inequality: “My use of Ubuntu as a concept in this paper lies in its possibilities for offering a philosophical and conceptual guide – a structure for race, class and gender transformation in post-apartheid South Africa," she says.

Sanger points to a symposium called Men Engage Ubuntu, hosted by non-profit organisation Sonke Gender Justice earlier this year. The panel focused on redefining masculinity to include care, which of course is central to Ubuntu thinking.

“Being cared for requires allowing oneself to be vulnerable, a trait that boys and men in many societies across the world have been taught to avoid in the belief that it reveals male weakness. The expression of aggression and violence on the other, is believed to be reflective of biological, innate masculinity. It is a very dangerous myth."

Wrapping up, she puts forward that men need to be considered in their specific contexts – personal, social, geographical and across their lifespans – alongside remedies invoking the significance of caring for others. “A more holistic and useful approach to male violence is to attempt to understand boys and men in the various spaces that they inhabit, and across their individual differences," she says.

Sanger holds a PhD in Women and Gender studies from the University of the Western Cape. She completed a Fulbright scholarship at the University of Maryland in the United States in 2011 and worked for ten years at South Africa's statutory research agency, the Human Sciences Research Council.​

​With effect from September, Private Law's Prof Juanita Pienaar will be serving as the Stellenbosch University Law Faculty's very first vice-dean of research and internationalisation.

Prof Pienaar will continue her primary duties as a lecturer in Customary Law, Property Law and Advanced Property Law, as well as researcher and Faculty committee member, stepping down only as head of the Department of Private Law. “I am excited," she says of her new role. “Because it is a newly created portfolio in the Faculty, we have a blank slate, so to speak, and the portfolio's scope and parameters can be sculpted according to international, but especially also national and African needs."

The new vice-dean is motivated for this challenge, knowing that she can count on the support and assistance of the Faculty's research committee and talented, enthusiastic staff. “We are a strong team in the Faculty, and I am looking forward to brainstorming and developing ideas with Dean Prof Nicola Smit and other colleagues. At the heart of the matter is the Faculty, its staff and students, and their needs," she says.

Prof Pienaar's own research focuses are property law in general, and land reform and related matters in particular. She boasts an extensive publication record, including the 2014 book Land Reform, which forms part of the Juta Property Law Library. She is currently working on another two publications. The one is another Juta book, this time on customary property law and co-authored with Prof Elmien du Plessis. The other, Property in Housing, sees Prof Pienaar in the role of editor, with Gustav Muller and Sue-Mari Viljoen as co-authors.

One of her first priorities as vice-dean will be to focus on research, which has been affected by the pandemic over the past 18 months. “Understandably, the University has had to place significant emphasis on teaching and learning in order to complete the academic year and assist our students as best we can. Yet COVID-19 has also affected how we approach and conduct research, and research visits and conferences have suffered," she says.

Asked about her work strategy and how she copes with challenges, Prof Pienaar stresses the importance of collaboration as well as self-management and organisation. “Find a sounding board who can listen and assist when necessary. Be realistic: You cannot be everything to everyone the whole time. And plan your week as best you can. COVID-19 has shown us that we can plan, and then everything changes in any event. Still, I have found that by planning and scheduling, one does feel more in control, even if it's only in theory!" she says.

“My motto is 'Wat klaar is, is klaar' ('Don't procrastinate'). If you can complete a task, just do it!" she adds. “At first, my children found my motto very annoying, but have now started using it themselves! I am inspired by people who rise above their circumstances and persevere. I have a lot of respect for resilience."

The drastic changes brought about by the pandemic have also taught her some additional valuable lessons. “The pandemic has significantly affected how we interact at work, in our neighbourhoods, and with friends and family. I now realise there is a lot to be said for popping into someone's office just to find out how that person is doing. I have missed that."

Her message to the campus community in these extraordinary times? “Firstly, purposely look for the good things in life – even if they're small and seemingly insignificant – and grab on to them. Secondly, take care of yourself before you take care of those around you: After all, you cannot pour from an empty vessel."

​

​​​​Stellenbosch University's (SU) ranking position has increased and it is now second in South Africa according to the 2022 Times Higher Education (THE) World Universities Rankings (WUR) that was released earlier today.

SU is ranked in the category 251–300 (for a third consecutive year) and moved up one place from last year (2021) when it occupied the third spot in South Africa. More than 1600 universities from 93 countries are ranked on the THE WUR.

“Stellenbosch University's consistent performance on the THE World Universities Rankings bodes well for the institution's vision of being 'Africa's leading research-intensive university, globally recognised as excellent, inclusive and innovative, where we advance knowledge in service of society'," says Prof Hester Klopper, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Strategy and Internationalisation.

“What is even more encouraging is that SU managed to improve on most of the indicators used by THE World Universities Rankings. This is no mean feat taking into account the pandemic and especially the challenges faced by universities in emerging economies."

She reiterated that while universities are aware of the importance of rankings in the overall perception of an institution's global academic and research standing, “at Stellenbosch University our focus remains on academic and research excellence that will shape a better world for all. It is, however, very gratifying when we gain international recognition in our quest to provide solutions to societal problems through world-class research and scientific programs. "

Indicators

An authoritative ranking of the world's best universities, the THE World University Rankings are the only global performance tables that judge research-intensive universities across all their core missions namely teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. THE WUR does not include the subjective perception indicator used by several other rankings..

SU improved again on the indicators Industry Income (knowledge transfer and a university's ability to attract funding in the commercial marketplace), Teaching, Research (number of published academic papers, reputation for research excellence, and income) and Citations (number of times a university's published work is cited by scholars globally).

The most significant improvement was on the industry income * and teaching** scores with an increase of 8.8% and 5.6% respectively. With an increase of 8.8%, the industry income score improved from the  previous (2021) score of 73.1   to the 2022 score of 79.5. The 5.6% growth brings the teaching score to 30.3 compared to 28.7 in 2021.

*THE WUR defines the 'Industry Indicator' as a university's ability to help industry with innovations, inventions and consultancy has become a core mission of the contemporary global academy. This category seeks to capture such knowledge-transfer activity by looking at how much research income an institution earns from industry (adjusted for PPP), scaled against the number of academic staff it employs. The category suggests the extent to which businesses are willing to pay for research and a university's ability to attract funding in the commercial marketplace – useful indicators of institutional quality.

** The 'Teaching' category is underpinned by the annually run Academic Reputation Survey that examines the perceived prestige of institutions in teaching and research. As well as giving a sense of how committed an institution is to nurturing the next generation of academics, a high proportion of postgraduate research students also suggests the provision of teaching at the highest level that is thus attractive to graduates and effective at developing them.

• Click here for the THE WUR methodology.
• In March the 2021 Times Higher Education (THE) Emerging Economies Universities Rankings ranked SU number 23 out of 606 institutions from countries or regions classified as “advanced emerging", “secondary emerging" or “frontier" – having improved steadily since 2017 when it came in at number 42. 
  
• Photo: Stefan Els
  

​South Africa desperately needs more medical specialists (nephrologists) to diagnose and manage patients with kidney disease, according to a new study at Stellenbosch University (SU).

A group of researchers at SU's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences analysed trends in the country's nephrologist workforce for the period 2002–2017, described the current training capacity and used this as a basis to forecast this workforce for 2030. They also assessed the training capacity by determining the numbers of government-funded posts for consultant nephrologists and nephrology trainees (“senior registrars") at training institutions and their affiliated hospitals, as well as the number of Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) training posts for nephrology at each training institution.

The findings of their study were published recently in the peer-reviewed open-access journal PLoS ONE.

“A properly functioning nephrology workforce is critical to addressing the growing burden of kidney disease and to improve the quality of kidney care in the country. Unfortunately, there aren't enough nephrologists, especially in the public sector and in certain provinces," says senior author and Head of SU's Division of Nephrology Prof Razeen Davids who conducted the study with colleagues Dominic Kumashie, Ritika Tiwari, Muhammed Hassen and Usuf Chikte.

The researchers point out that although the number of nephrologists has nearly tripled from 53 in 2002 to 141 in 2017, the overall density is only 2,5 per million population (pmp), which is well below the median of 10,8 pmp for upper-middle-income countries (UMICs).

“At the current rate of production of eight nephrologists per year, and with 71 nephrologists expected to leave the profession in the next 12 years, the nephrologist density in 2030 is forecasted to be 2,6 pmp (174 nephrologists). This will simply not be enough to address the increasing burden of kidney disease in the country. It will also increase the workload for the active nephrologists which may result in burnout, early retirements and compromised quality of care for patients with kidney disease."

“The problem is compounded by the markedly unequal distribution of nephrologists by healthcare sector, with 78 working in the private sector, serving the 16% of the population who are medically insured, while the remaining 63 serve the 84% of the population reliant on the public sector."

According to the researchers, the lack of posts in the public sector for newly qualified nephrologists fuels the maldistribution between the two sectors as well as between urban and rural areas.

“The inability to retain nephrologists in the public sector (which is responsible for all the training of nephrologists) does not augur well for the future of the nephrology workforce in this sector and, by extension, for our training capacity."

Regarding the number of registered nephrologists per province in 2017, they say Gauteng, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal had the most, followed by the Free State, Limpopo and the Northern Cape. At the time of the study, the North West and Mpumalanga provinces had none.

Looking ahead to 2030, the researchers point out that a substantial increase in the numbers of nephrologists being trained is needed if inter-provincial disparities are to be reduced and if we are to approach the average nephrologist density of other UMICs. Aiming for even modest targets means producing 14 and 16 nephrologists per year, respectively, instead of the current eight.

“Training is currently operating well below the potential capacity, based on the numbers of consultant nephrologists and the allocated HPCSA training post numbers at the training institutions."

They point out that actual training capacity is dependent on government-funded trainee (“senior registrar") posts and these are grossly inadequate, setting the limit on the production of new nephrologists at approximately eight per annum.

“We need more funded training posts and posts for qualified nephrologists in the public sector. Should these actions be taken, there is a realistic chance of successfully addressing provincial inequalities and achieving nephrologist densities comparable to other UMICs."

“In the short term, the retirement age for public sector nephrologists could be increased or retired nephrologists could be retained on a part-time basis to assist with service delivery, training and research."

The researchers urge government and training institutions to explore partnerships with the corporate sector to increase funds for training. They say the delivery of comprehensive kidney care requires a multi-disciplinary team and that studies are needed to investigate human resources issues relevant to the other categories of healthcare professionals who form part of this team.

• ​SOURCE: Kumashie DD, Tiwari R, Hassen M, Chikte UME, Davids MR (2021). Trends in the nephrologist workforce in South Africa (2002–2017) and forecasting for 2030. PLoS ONE 16(8): e0255903. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255903 ​

​

Dear colleagues and students

Allow me to bring you up to speed on the decisions taken at the latest meeting of our Institutional Committee for Business Continuity (ICBC), which took place on Monday 4 October 2021, and where we also welcomed the newly elected Students’ Representative Council Chair, Ms Viwe Kobokana, for the first time.

Our most important decisions include that Stellenbosch University (SU) intends returning to face-to-face teaching and learning next year, COVID-19 permitting, and that we are also recalling staff to campus in a phased way. This will be done in such a manner that risks continue to be managed and regulations and health protocols continue to be followed.

Please read on for more on these and other issues.

State of the pandemic

In her customary briefing to the ICBC, Prof Juliet Pulliam of SACEMA (the South African Centre of Excellence in Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis), warned that even though we have exited the third wave, a resurgence of infections remains a possibility.

Therefore, one of her key messages was that “SU should continue to facilitate vaccination of students and staff, and encourage behaviours that reduce transmission, such as masks, distancing, hand-washing, and self-isolation when sick”.

Vaccinations

According to a report by the Senior Director of SU’s Campus Health Service, Dr Pierre Viviers, there has been a good uptake of services at SU’s vaccination centre at the Lentelus sports grounds in Hammanshand Road, Stellenbosch. Nearly 5 000 staff, students and members of the public have been vaccinated at the facility since it opened on 10 August 2021.

On our Tygerberg campus, 637 staff members and 2 219 students have been vaccinated – many of them as part of the Sisonke programme for healthcare workers earlier this year. We have these exact figures available because staff and students had to register on the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences’ online portal. These numbers exclude those who were vaccinated by the health facilities where they work.

Dr Viviers also shared a most illuminating slide comparing the number of COVID cases among students on the Stellenbosch and Tygerberg campuses (see right). It clearly shows the beneficial impact of a high vaccination rate on a particular community.

On our Tygerberg campus, 71% of undergraduates have been vaccinated to date, and student leaders are aiming for 100%. Registering on SU’s online portal was not a requirement on our Stellenbosch campus, as it did not form part of the Sisonke programme. And while accurate data is being kept at our Lentelus facility, only a relatively small portion of our Stellenbosch staff members and students have been served there. Although many members of our Stellenbosch campus community have been making use of other vaccination facilities as well, the vaccination rate here has probably not reached Tygerberg’s level yet.

That is why the graph for Tygerberg is flattened out, while the graph for Stellenbosch shows spikes in the number of COVID cases, Dr Viviers explained.

So, I again want to encourage everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccines are safe, they save lives, and they clearly work. Getting the jab is the responsible thing to do. Click here for the SU vaccination statement.

Vaccination policy/rule

The ICBC took note of the mandate that the SU Council provided to management last week to work towards the urgent development of a policy/rule on COVID-19 vaccination for students and staff for the 2022 academic year, paying due regard to consultation and risk management.

The ICBC received feedback that the risk assessment required in terms of a directive promulgated in June was nearly complete, after which a policy/rule would be formulated and submitted for approval. Last week, Council decided that its Executive Committee would consider the matter as soon as possible.

Assessments

Just over four weeks of classes remain for the year. The ICBC decided that assessments for the rest of 2021 would take place in sit-down, invigilated mode, as was the case earlier this year. However, a few exceptions will apply because in some programmes, this assessment mode will not be practical, while in others, arrangements for online assessments have already been made and communicated. Faculties and the Registrar’s office will communicate the necessary details to staff and students.

Graduation

The ICBC confirmed that the graduation ceremonies from 13 to 16 December would proceed in hybrid mode, as communicated at the end of August. Undergraduate, honours and master’s degree ceremonies will take place online, supplemented by small in-person ceremonies for the awarding of doctoral and honorary degrees, as well as the Chancellor’s medal and awards.

The ICBC has noted the progress made as reflected in the fact that South Africa moved from adjusted alert level 2 to level 1 last week, but although the size of permissible gatherings has been increased, it would still not enable full-scale graduation ceremonies in face-to-face mode.

However, the ICBC did note the suggestions from the student body for more personal and celebratory elements to be included in the ceremonies, and we will try our utmost to do so.

Mode of teaching and learning in 2022

SU intends returning to face-to-face teaching and learning next year, in line with our status as a leading residential university.

The academic year will start on 14 February 2022, which is later than usual because matric results are only expected to be released by 21 January at the earliest. Click here for next year’s term and exam dates at SU.

Emergency remote teaching, learning and assessment (ERTLA) got us through the most stringent COVID-19 lockdown levels last year, and when these were sufficiently eased this year, we were able to augment online classes with contact sessions (ARTLA). Now we are looking to go further, depending, of course, on the status of the pandemic and COVID-19 regulations at the time.

The higher the number of fully vaccinated people on our campuses, the better our chances of getting back to the full on-campus experience. This is why it is an institutional priority for the University that all its staff and students get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Click here for more on our vaccination campaign.

Plans for recalling staff to campus

The ICBC took an important decision regarding the phased return of staff members to their on-campus workplaces.

This decision is premised on the fact that SU is a residential university. The engagement of students and staff in a myriad of activities on our campuses is an integral part of the fabric of this institution. The COVID pandemic has ripped into this fabric and disrupted the vibrant and diverse nature of our institution. We need to gather the pieces and start the process of stitching together this colourful tapestry.

In March 2020, various measures were taken to deal with the pandemic. One of the most significant measures for staff was that those employees who could do so, started working from home as a necessary intervention – as prescribed in national COVID regulations – to deal with the health crisis.

As from 1 October 2021, the country has moved down to lockdown level 1 thanks to lower COVID-19 infection rates reported nationwide. Following input from our Medical Advisory Committee as well as the workstream for staff, the ICBC has decided that environments should start the process of having staff return to perform their duties from their campus workplaces. The aim is to have all staff back on campus come the new year.

The ICBC recognises that various factors prevent a complete return of all staff at this time. These include the fact that the year is close to the end, that staff might need to make personal arrangements, and that a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections is possible. Most importantly, not all staff have been vaccinated at this stage. As you know, a risk assessment is being competed, and this will guide the University’s vaccination policy/rule.

In the remaining two months of this year, these issues must be attended to so that the full re-integration of staff is in place come the new year.

The ICBC affirms that in the meantime, the current working arrangements are to continue. This entails that staff work either remotely from home or in hybrid fashion (i.e. remotely and physically, interchangeably), as approved by the dean of a faculty or the head of a PASS (professional and administrative support services) division.

In our previous ICBC communication, we provided reasons for a return to campus. These still stand:

a.       Tasks that require physical presence

b.       Tasks that need to be done to advance higher levels of engagement with colleagues and with the priorities at hand

c.       Physical presence on campuses to facilitate spontaneous interaction and exchange of ideas that facilitate innovation, and that cannot be achieved in case of remote-only work

d.       To prevent estrangement from campuses as primary spaces of work in the context of residential universities

e.       To strengthen cohesion and cooperation among staff, especially with regard to the induction of new staff and students.

The necessary health and safety protocols will be strictly enforced. These include daily health screenings, the wearing of masks, sanitising and physical distancing. To comply with physical distancing requirements, environments may roster staff to come to the office on different days or at different times. Additional measures will apply for employees who are older than 60 and/or suffer from comorbidities.

These measures will be reviewed should the situation on our campuses change or the country again be moved to another risk level.

Getting vaccinated is the best way to combat COVID-19 and create a safe environment for staff and students on our campuses. Click here for more information on getting vaccinated at the University’s own site in Stellenbosch, and here for more on vaccination sites that may be closer to your home.

Forward together

The coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt our lives, but we are pushing back – both as individuals and as an institution. That makes me proud and fills me with hope.

Every time we adhere to COVID-19 protocols, we curtail the disease – even more so when we receive the vaccine. Every time we carry out our duties or carry on with our studies despite the challenges caused by COVID-19, we are helping one another overcome what is certainly the biggest test of our time.

So, a big thank you to every member of the University community for your contribution. Step by step, we are indeed “building back better”.

Let’s stay safe and look out for one another.

Prof Wim de Villiers
Rector and Vice-Chancellor,
and acting chair: ICBC

​​​

​​​​Most students going on a semester exchange expect to have their boundaries shifted and to learn how to navigate different social contexts. However, the outbreak of the global pandemic has added a whole new dimension to the experience of studying abroad.

“We were determined to travel, despite all the uncertainty, and continued with our preparations until we were given the go-ahead," says Maëlle Barrere, a master's student from SKEMA Business School France. She was one of over 300 students who finally arrived at Stellenbosch University (SU) on a semester exchange in the first semester of 2021 after having waited a year for their home countries' hard lockdowns to be lifted so that international travel could recommence.

And it was well worth the wait, Maëlle says, as she was able to make the most of her exchange, even securing an internship at SU International. We sat down to learn more about her experience.

Explain the way you felt when you found out you could travel again after the hard lockdown.

Excitement was the first thing I felt, although there was still a lot of uncertainty. France was still under curfew, and the embassies were not fully functioning. And the stress slowly started to creep in when we received word of the rise in cases in South Africa. But since we were determined to travel, we continued with our preparations until we were given the go-ahead.

What were your expectations of SU? And have they been met?

Over and above everything else, I expected to have a rich cultural experience, to meet new people, and to grow from the experience. And, indeed, my expectations have been met, even though in between ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and hybrid ways of working. I didn't expect to meet such nice colleagues, see such beautiful landscapes, and create such good memories.

How did you end up working at SU International?

With hybrid learning and pandemic restrictions, it was difficult to meet new people and engage, but I was determined to make it work and still find a way to integrate with my new environment. So, when I was given the opportunity to intern at SU International, I grabbed it, and it has turned out to be one of the highlights of this exchange experience.

Now that you have been here a while, what has your experience of studying and working at SU been like?

What has stood out most for me is the working environment: Working at SU International as an intern is very different from working in France. Here, I enjoy an open-door and collaborative working approach, where I can talk directly to my manager and feel that I am contributing to the team. In a way, my interaction with my colleagues compensated for the fact that the peer engagement and social integration that normally come with an exchange experience were limited due to COVID.

If you were to explain your SU experience to someone who hasn't been, what would you say?

 Firstly, if you are worried about travelling to South Africa, knowing that it is not the safest country in the world, arriving here at Stellenbosch gives you that safe cocoon feeling. Secondly, SU is beautiful – the landscapes, the culture. I really wish I could discover it fully. I did manage to travel during recess and enjoyed the beauty of the country. On a visit to South Africa, one at least needs to get to Cape Town and Durban, enjoy the beaches, and definitely see the Drakensberg. I am still hoping to get to see Kruger National Park before I leave.

​

When the pandemic hit, SU International's efforts to grow the University's network of global partnerships certainly did not stop. Making the most of the online space to reach out and establish links worldwide, the University managed to increase its number of partnerships across all regions (see figure 1 below).

Figure 1: Growth in partnerships by region, 2018–2021 (as in January 2021)

No doubt, this has largely been thanks to a strong focus on our Internationalisation Strategy and associated Partnership Framework. In goal 4 of the strategy, we commit ourselves to cultivate close relationships with our international stakeholders through functional engagement, active collaboration, and mutually beneficial, complementary, reciprocal and transformational partnerships.

Another reason for the regional growth illustrated in figure 1 was the focus on internationalisation at institutions worldwide over this same period. The eagerness to interact and collaborate globally certainly made it easier and more commonplace for institutions to formalise their interactions.

The appreciable difference between the number of partnerships with Europe and with the other world regions can be attributed not only to SU's historical linkages with the European continent, but also our African location. The novel research conducted on our continent, and the immense real-world impact it has on our people, adds to Africa's appeal. With its excellence in research and its existing connections and networks on the continent, SU is able to act as a promoter and coordinator of collaboration across Africa.

 In addition to regional-level global collaboration, our Partnership Framework also provides for partnerships at the faculty/departmental level (see figure 2).

Partnerships at the faculty/departmental level generally support specific research collaborations in an academic setting. While these collaborations strive to achieve many of the features of an institutional partnership, they also afford more custodianship to the relevant academic environment.

Yet we are not simply looking to grow our number of partnerships. Instead, we focus on strengthening relationships that go beyond merely facilitating an activity (transactional), to being more consequential in terms of impact and transformation at both partner institutions (transformational). Attributes that make for a good balance between transactional and transformational include:​

•  alignment with SU's five strategic research areas, and the sustainable development goals they are aimed at;
• supporting international knowledge diplomacy;
• potential for facilitating a transformative staff or student experience;
• providing for collaborative degree programmes, especially at postgraduate level;
• potential for bilateral activities based on shared membership of multilateral networks and consortia (e.g. BRICS NU, SSUN, ARUA, AC21 and others);
• for African partnerships specifically, initiatives aimed at developing emerging scholars; and
• a focus on being “in service of society".

​

​​Postgraduate students and researchers from Stellenbosch University certainly raised the bar when they walked away with eight of the 14 awards made during the Physiology Society of Southern Africa's (PSSA) annual conference recently, held in collaboration with the African Association of Physiological Sciences (AAPS).

This includes the Axiology Life Time Career award, which was made to Prof Faadiel Essop, director of the Centre for Cardio-metabolic Research in Africa (CARMA) in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. The award honours a well-established physiologist with an excellent national profile and a high level of international recognition.

Prof Essop was also elected as president of AAPS, while Dr Balindiwe Sishi from the Department of Physiological Sciences in the Faculty of Science was elected as treasurer to the management committees of AAPS and PSSA. Furthermore, for her poster on the identification of potential biomarkers for cardiotoxicity induced by cancer and/or Doxorubicin therapy, Dr Sishi won the best general poster award. Dr Bongekile Skhosana, a senior lecturer in Medical Physiology in FMHS, earned a second place after Dr Sishi for her work on histological changes in reproductive organs induced by obesity.

MSc-student David Evans received the Johnny van der Walt-award for the best student poster. Working under the guidance of Prof Carine Smith in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology in the Department of Medicine, his research assesses the in vitro feasibility of a human-macrophage-based drug delivery system in zebrafish larvae. In the second place was MSc-student Maia Rawlins. With Prof Kathy Myburgh as study leader, she investigates interindividual variability and satellite cell pool expansion following high intensity interval training. Prof Myburgh holds the SARChI research chair in integrative skeletal muscle physiology, biology and biotechnology.

PhD-student Lesha Pretorius, supervised by Prof Smith, won the award for the best/innovative method in her research on the contribution of gastrointestinal secretome to sex bias in irritable bowel syndrome. Together with PhD-student Tracey Ollewagen they came second and third respectively in the Wyndham Student Oral Competition. Tracey's work focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular role players that contribute to ultrastructural changes in rheumatoid cachexia. Her main supervisor is Prof Smith, with Prof Myburgh as co-supervisor.

The online AAPS/PSSA conference was attended by academics and students from elevent South African universities and seven African countries (Egypt, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe). The conference was hosted by the University of Witwatersrand's School of Physiology. Prof Willie Daniels, chair of the local organising committee, noted in his opening address that the research presented is a reflection of Africa's growing footprint in the field, with collaborators from various countries, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Iran, Ireland, Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States of America. ​

​​New research indicates that an overload of various inflammatory molecules, literally “trapped" inside insoluble microscopic blood clots (micro clots), might be the cause of some of the lingering symptoms experienced by individuals with Long COVID.

This unexpected finding was made by Prof Resia Pretorius, a researcher in the Department of Physiological Science at Stellenbosch University (SU), when she started looking at micro clots and their molecular content in blood samples from individuals with Long COVID. The findings have since been peer-reviewed and published in the journal Cardiovascular Diabetology in August 2021.

“We found high levels of various inflammatory molecules trapped in micro clots present in the blood of individuals with Long COVID. Some of the trapped molecules contain clotting proteins such as fibrinogen, as well as alpha(2)-antiplasmin," Prof Pretorius explains.

Alpha(2)-antiplasmin is a molecule that prevents the breakdown of blood clots, while fibrinogen is the main clotting protein. Under normal conditions the body's plasmin-antiplasmin system maintains a fine balance between blood clotting (the process by which blood thickens and coagulate to prevent blood loss after an injury) and fibrinolysis (the process of breaking down the fibrin in the coagulated blood to prevent blood clots from forming).

With high levels of alpha(2)-antiplasmin in the blood of COVID-19 patients and individuals suffering from Long COVID, the body's ability to break down the clots are significantly inhibited.

The insolubility of the micro clots became apparent when Dr Maré Vlok, a senior analyst in the Mass Spectrometry Unit at SU's Central Analytical Facilities, noted that the blood plasma samples from individuals with acute COVID and Long COVID continued to deposit insoluble pellets at the bottom of the tubes after dilution (a process called trypsinization).

He alerted Prof Pretorius to this observation and she investigated it further. They are now the first research group to have reported on finding micro clots in the blood samples from individuals with Long COVID, using fluorescence microscopy and proteomics analysis, thereby solving yet another puzzle associated with the disease.

Of particular interest is the simultaneous presence of persistent anomalous micro clots and a pathological fibrinolytic system," they write in the research paper. This implies that the plasmin and antiplasmin balance may be central to pathologies in Long COVID, and provides further evidence that COVID-19, and now Long COVID, have significant cardiovascular and clotting pathologies.

Further research is recommended into a regime of therapies to support clotting and fibrinolytic system function in individuals with lingering Long COVID symptoms.

Working with vascular internist Dr Jaco Laubscher from Mediclinic Stellenbosch (a co-author on the article), they now plan to perform the same analysis on a larger sample of patients. To date they have collected blood from one hundred Long COVID individuals who participated in the Long COVID registry which launched in May 2021, as well as from 30 healthy individuals. The research is funded by the Long COVID Research Charitable Trust, a trust established with an initial donation made by Mr Koos Pretorius from ENSafrica. It is intended that this trust will be used as a vehicle to raise further funds for research into the causes and effective treatment of people suffering from Long COVID.

The article, “Persistent clotting protein pathology in Long COVID/Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) is accompanied by increased levels of antiplasmin" was published in Cardiovascular Diabetology in August 2021 and is available online at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34425843/

Caption

Prof Resia Pretorius from Stellenbosch University used fluorescent microscopy to find and identify the persistent micro clots in the blood samples from individuals with long-COVID. Photo:

Media enquiries

Prof Resia Pretorius

Department of Physiological Sciences, Stellenbosch University

E-mail: resiap@sun.ac.za

Mobile: 082 929 5041​​

​​

With its creative programmes in schools and communities, Words Open Worlds (WOW), an initiative of the Toyota SU Woordfees, has been creating 'wow' moments for learners across the country since 2003. WOW programmes are aimed at developing language skills, literacy and the arts, and at broadening participants' horizons in the process.  

WOW-50-Schools recruitment drive

One of WOW's longer-term projects, the WOW-50-Schools recruitment drive, is helping first-generation learners turn their dreams of tertiary education into reality. To date, the initiative has recruited 317 Afrikaans-speaking learners from disadvantaged schools in Stellenbosch and surrounds to study at Stellenbosch University (SU) next year, says WOW manager Fiona van Kerwel.

Van Kerwel says WOW-50-Schools, which is sponsored by SU's Social Impact Funding Committee, recruits mostly first-generation learners who have not been identified by any other recruitment programmes of tertiary institutions. “The project fills a gap and reaches learners who would otherwise not have the opportunity to study at SU. They do not always receive hands-on support or understanding from others, and face diverse challenges ranging from personal and social to academic," she says.

Aaisha Arnolds, a first-generation BA Language and Culture student at SU who took part in WOW educational programmes, says the project is crucial to ensure that learners pursue tertiary studies. “WOW creates incredible opportunities for learners from disadvantaged backgrounds who don't always get the chance to showcase their talents," she says.

While Arnolds was always encouraged by her family to go to university, this is not the case for many other learners. “Some schools have a culture of emphasising tertiary studies," Van Kerwel confirms, “and their academically strong learners would automatically have a mindset of wanting to go to varsity after school. But many other schools do not have such a culture, which is why WOW tries to establish this among the learners at our targeted schools, stressing the value of tertiary studies."

Van Kerwel adds: “This has a positive impact on learners as well as their communities. It enables learners to reach their goals and bring positive social change to their communities. Like the other WOW projects, the recruitment drive helps transform lives through education."

One of the core aims of the WOW-50-Schools project is to broaden learners' perspectives and help them discover and develop their potential. To this end, WOW facilitates activities to improve reading and language skills and expose learners to arts and culture.

In collaboration with SU's Centre for Prospective Students, WOW recruiters start their work in April each year, identifying promising Grade 12s who have Afrikaans as a school subject, either at Home Language or Additional Language level. The learner who would typically qualify attends a disadvantaged school, achieves good grades, and dreams of tertiary studies, particularly in the field of arts and social sciences. The WOW recruiters continue with school visits in search of qualifying learners up until June, Van Kerwel explains.

As soon as promising learners are identified, the support process starts. WOW staff members help learners apply for admission and accommodation, provide advice on academic programme choices, give career guidance, and assist with bursary and/or loan applications. But perhaps the most significant support element is provided during their actual study years, Van Kerwel says. “Through academic and social support, we help them have a transformative student experience by taking part in student activities, overcoming challenges and, ultimately, succeeding in their studies. And we proudly attend their graduation ceremonies."

Sanlam WOW Spelling Festival

Another very popular WOW programme is the annual Sanlam WOW Spelling Festival. The festival, taking place online from 12 to 22 October this year, is South Africa's largest spelling bee. It takes place across all nine provinces and gives young learners early exposure to SU and the opportunities that tertiary study offers.

The festival allows learners to interact with language in a fun manner, thereby laying the foundation to turn them into avid lifelong readers. At the same time, it serves to increase the literacy level at their schools, particularly in light of the loss of contact teaching time due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Additional WOW programmes

The following additional WOW projects are also planned or already under way:

• WOW programmes forming part of the Toyota SU Woordfees are being broadcast on DStv channel 150 and, for Namibian viewers, on GOtv from 1 to 7 October. For the Woordfees programme schedule, click here.
• WOW reading circles: Online reading activities with participating schools and learners are being planned. A webpage is being created, which will replace the pre-pandemic reading festivals and school visits by professional authors.
• WOW debates and orators: The debates will be uploaded to the WOW website soon. These form part of the annual interschool sports and cultural competitions, and usually take place in the third term. 

• Poetry: Grade 12 learners' poems will be published on the WOW website. Prior to the pandemic, established poets and authors visited more than 100 schools in three provinces.
• WOW webinar: The WOW Teachers Day, which saw 200 teachers from approximately 80 schools visiting the Woordfees every year pre-COVID, has been replaced with a webinar.
• WOW open day: An online WOW open day for learners will be hosted in October.
• WOW school media: The school newspaper development programme has also moved online and will take place in October.  

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​Tuesday (5 October) was World Teachers' Day. In an opinion piece for Daily Maverick, Prof Nuraan Davids (Department of Education Policy Studies) writes that we need teachers who can respond with sensitivity and care, while sustaining a hopefulness in those they teach.

• Read the article below or click here for the piece as published.

Teaching means finding the Light

Nuraan Davids*

Most South African teachers are familiar with what it means to teach in contexts of 'abnormality', unsafety and violence. They also know what it takes to function in crises and to assume roles and responsibilities that go well beyond the norms and standards of any educational policy. The more these crises accumulate – poor infrastructure and resources, poor parental support, high learner-to-teacher ratio, teenage pregnancies, racism, vandalism, service delivery protests, leading to closure of schools, corrupt leadership and management, learner and teacher absenteeism, learner attrition (this piece of string truly has no end), and more recently, Covid-19 –  the greater the burden of responsibility on teachers.

For young people, the disjointedness of this world has not only disrupted the way they socialise and learn but has also derailed them from grasping the kind of world they are learning towards. Teachers, therefore, do not only have to manage the dual tasks of teaching and learning, but also have to keep young people motivated in and for a world that we all still trying to understand. As we celebrate World Teachers' Day (5 October), we should perhaps reconsider and re-appreciate the enormity of what being a teacher involves.

Well before Covid-19 entered our lexicon, the onset of digitised teaching and learning had already been hailed as an inevitability. Most of us would agree that technology has become indispensable for learning skills, building knowledge, working, playing, and connecting socially. We understand the need for thinking that is dependent on the algorithmic computations of technology; that we can no longer only rely on traditional forms of human imagination. The nagging problem, however, is that we seemingly speak of this technological shift and indispensability as if all our educational spaces are the same. We have these conversations in a decontextualised unconsciousness, even when we know that to most South Africans, digital or remote learning is as much as an oxymoron as the idea of 'physical' or 'social distancing' in overcrowded homes and communities.

The truth is that despite their unprecedented advances and capabilities, there are limits to digital technologies. I am not only referring to the rising concerns about how these technologies, and the screens on which they display, may be changing our brain circuitry

, eroding our deep reading abilities, memory, and comprehension, with implications for our physical and mental health. I am also not only speaking about the blatantly evident schisms between historically advantaged and historically disadvantaged educational spaces, and hence the accompanying irreconcilable lived experiences of students.

My own online screen transports me into uncomfortable intrusions of the unequal lives of my students. While some look back at me from the confines of cosy, well-equipped rooms, others lean awkwardly across internet café counters – at least until their data lasts. What I am especially concerned about, however, are the effects of our growing reliance on digital technologies on the kinds of citizens we are cultivating, and what this means for teaching. Quite explicitly, an online learning community is rid of the complexities implicit within any diverse group of people, thereby raising inevitable questions about the kind of people we stand to produce. In every way, physical spaces provide us with the presence, cues and tensions necessary for the cultivation of engaging with difference and diversity.

At stake is not only how to keep young people interested in particular subjects, but how to retain and keep them motivated within the very system of learning. The world around us is no longer what it used to be; we are drifting from one Covid wave to the next. For young people, this uncertainty is compounded by the blurred realities of a social isolation, only accompanied by a screen. As teachers, it is no longer just enough to be attentive to attendance and participation levels. It is becoming increasingly evident that the absence of these physical cues demands a pedagogy of deeper awareness and intensity. Teachers who understand the demands of their profession, recognise the importance of relationships for learning to unfold. They recognise that much about how a student perceives and approaches a subject, depends on the teacher. Teaching, after all, is a mutually responsive practice. A teacher who has no interest in his/her subject or students, will inevitability find a classroom of students that is even less interested.

While teaching relies heavily on content and pedagogical knowledge, it is the teacher's attitude to his/her profession and students that transforms teaching into a craft of influence. In sum, this is where the how of teaching takes immense precedence over the what. Teaching, therefore, has to be responsive not only to the needs and expectations of students, but also to the world around us. What our current, and somewhat estranging, world needs are teachers who can respond with sensitivity and care, while sustaining a hopefulness in those they teach. That we are physically disconnected implies that teachers have to place a greater emphasis not on connectivity, but on human connection as expressions of care and hope. The influence of hope extends into cultivating positive teaching and learning experiences, regardless of contextual backgrounds and noise. In fact, as is often the case, the more dire circumstances, the greater the presence of hope.

Hope holds the capacity to allow students to believe in themselves and to transcend their circumstances; it gives them the courage to look beyond what is immediately evident. Teaching with hope provides students with a confidence that they have a right to their dreams, especially in contexts and in a time where these dreams are seemingly at risk. We should never forget that, no matter what the crisis, being a teacher means always finding the light. In the end, teachers are remembered not for what they taught, but for how they made their students feel. To my mind, there can be no better criterion of citizenship than making others feel good about themselves.

*Nuraan Davids is a professor of philosophy of education in the department of education policy studies at Stellenbosch University.

​

​​SU International's African Doctoral Academy (ADA) has been offering capacity development interventions for current and prospective PhD candidates, supervisors and researchers since 2009. With its flagship annual summer and winter schools, the ADA has built a significant following over the years. These schools are made up of a number of short courses on research design and methodology, academic preparedness, research dissemination and supervision, and are accredited by Stellenbosch University (SU) and presented by both SU and other experts.

Since February 2021, a new ADA initiative, Webinar Wednesdays, has been offering regular support and stimulation to the ADA's followers, and providing a platform for SU staff and ADA associates to share their work and research interests. The webinars, held on the first or second Wednesday of the month, also give the ADA a year-round presence, instead of only in the run-up to its annual schools.

Seven webinars have been presented to date:

• In “Creating an academic vision, and the habits that make it a reality", Prof Sarah Tracy, a qualitative researcher from Arizona State University, United States, helped delegates set research targets and reach their academic goals.
• Prof Kanshu Rajaratnam, director of the newly established SU School for Data Science and Computational Thinking, elaborated on “Data science and its relevance for us in Africa", including how data science has helped us understand the spread of COVID-19 across the world.
• In the webinar “Creating a functional home office", Prof Sebastian Kernbach, a fellow at Stanford and a lecturer at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland, shared ideas on how to use design thinking principles to create a productive remote work environment.
• SU's Doris Viljoen, a senior futurist at the Institute for Futures Studies, explored how futures thinking could open up doors when planning scenarios in both research and institutions in her session “Scenario Planning".
• Prof Brigitte Smit, an experienced trainer in computer-assisted software at the universities of Alberta and Johannesburg, offered handy tips and tools for data collection, transcription and analysis in “Use of Digital Tools for research".
•  In the session, “Tips to get published", novice writers wanting to produce articles for submission to scientific journals were shown the ropes by SU's Prof Leslie Swartz, who himself has published over 400 academic outputs.
• Finally, Intro to Data Visualisation, with Marié Roux of Stellenbosch University's Library and Information Services where she coordinates the #SmartResearcher workshops aimed at postgraduate students, researchers and academic staff. 

The response has been tremendous: On average, the webinars attracted over 100 participants each, from across all disciplines, with one reaching up to 260 people. All the webinars are publicly available on the ADA's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD4ct5mOJ1zpkB2HIB9xQtg.

The next Webinar Wednesday features Mr Kirchner van Deventer (SU Library and Information Services), who will be providing a hands-on demonstration of Mendeley referencing management software and share the main features of this powerful programme.

Save the Date: Summer School 2022

Webinar Wednesdays: 20 October 2021 at 12:00 - 13:30 (GMT+2)Mendeley referencing management software 

Register here

• Those who wish to contribute to Webinar Wednesdays and share their research are invited to contact ADA programme manager Corina du Toit (corina@sun.ac.za).

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​South Africa needs a proper policy and legislative framework for ensuring that human rights principles guide economic decision-making, particularly in hard times. This is the view of Prof Sandra Liebenberg, HF Oppenheimer Chair in Human Rights Law at the Faculty of Law, in a recent article for The Conversation.

• Read the published article below.
  
  

Sandra Liebenberg​

The role that human rights should play in South Africa's economic policy has been the subject of intense controversy and debate over the past year. This, after the finance ministry announced spending cuts in its Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement while the COVID-19 pandemic was ravaging lives and livelihoods.

The statement sets out government's policy framework for the upcoming budget and its macro-economic plans and goals for the next three years.

The plan is to slash government expenditure over three financial years, from 2021, by R300 billion (about US$21 billion). This will severely affect budgets for education, healthcare, land reform and other social services.

The government said the cuts were needed to prevent a “debt spiral" – borrowing money to meet its commitments. Because South Africa has a sub-investment grade rating, it must pay higher interest on new debt. In addition, GDP had declined by 7% in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19 on the already struggling economy.

Economists and civil society criticised the plan. They argued that it undermined access to socio-economic rights for many disadvantaged groups. Instead, government should explore other options for mobilising resources.

Socio-economic rights are set out in the bill of rights. They include access to land and housing, healthcare, food and water, social security and education.

The doctrine of non-retrogression

This controversy raises the question of what role human rights should play in economic policy, particularly in challenging economic times. What should guide the weighing of the costs and benefits of different spending priorities?

It is becoming increasingly clear that policymakers can no longer ignore the country's obligations in terms of international, regional and national human rights law.

My new article in the South African Journal on Human Rights explores the relevance of the doctrine of “non-retrogression" to economic policy decisions that imperil socio-economic rights.

Global human rights bodies developed the doctrine as a tool to evaluate policies which result in a deterioration in the enjoyment of these rights. The doctrine requires states to justify such policies according to certain criteria.

Austerity measures and human rights

In my article, I explore the key features of the doctrine of non-retrogression. I look at whether it can be applied to fiscal consolidation and whether it has been applied in any South African court decisions.

The main finding is that the doctrine forms part of the country's jurisprudence on socio-economic rights. It should thus guide economic policy and budgetary decisions, to ensure they reflect human rights principles and priorities.

That would help government defend its decisions before international human rights bodies or in domestic courts.

In 2018 the United Nations Committee on Economic Social and Culture Rights criticised the economic policy decisions of the South African government. This committee monitors compliance by states with their obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The committee said the country's “austerity measures" had cut budgets in health, education and other public services. It expressed concern that the cuts would worsen inequalities and reverse gains made.

The UN body cited its non-retrogression doctrine and recommended that both the executive and legislature take human rights into account when deciding the budget.

It refined key elements of this doctrine in response to the austerity measures adopted during the global financial crisis of 2008-2009. Since then, states have had to show that certain criteria have been met.

They must show that:

• retrogressive measures are adopted only as a last resort
• alternatives were comprehensively examined
• those who are disadvantaged and vulnerable will not be adversely affected
• social protection programmes are in place so that people's essential basic needs are not compromised
• there was genuine public participation in relevant decisions.

Courts and the doctrine of non-retrogression

This retrogressive measures doctrine is receiving increased attention in South African courts. For example, the North Gauteng High Court relied on it in its judgment on the suspension of the National School Nutrition Programme during the lockdown last year. The court said the suspension violated children's right to basic education and basic nutrition. It ordered the government to develop a plan to ensure that every learner received a daily school meal – regardless of whether they were attending school or studying from home.

The doctrine was also cited in another judgment in which the court found that the withdrawal of government subsidies for providers of early childhood education was unconstitutional.

The Constitutional Court has previously ruled that courts must take the availability of resources into account in judging whether government has taken reasonable measures to meet its socio-economic rights duties. It has also said that the government must show that its resource allocation decisions considered human rights.

For example, the court has said that organs of state cannot rely on the excuse that they have failed to plan and budget appropriately for the fulfilment of their constitutional duties.

Courts should ideally not intervene directly in matters of economic policy and spending priorities. It is primarily the responsibility of the executive and legislature to ensure that budgetary decisions take human rights into account. But, when they fail to do so, courts have a constitutional responsibility to protect these constitutional rights.

Public participation

How should the executive and legislature ensure that human rights are taken into account in economic policy decisions?

One way is to conduct human rights impact assessments before undertaking economic reforms, as recommended by the UN. Another is creating a policy framework for thorough public participation in economic policy and budgetary decisions.

Public participation is vital as it can highlight the impact of policies on vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. It can also suggest ways of avoiding or mitigating such impacts.

The 2019 Open Budget survey ranked South Africa highly in terms of the transparency of its budget process, but lowest in terms of public participation. Civil society organisations have complained that the budgetary process is inaccessible to poor communities. They say it does not provide meaningful opportunities for engagement.

Without resources, human rights are no more than words on paper. South Africa needs a proper policy and legislative framework for ensuring that human rights principles guide economic decision-making, particularly in hard times.

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​​As countries across the globe have begun to roll out their vaccine programmes, we have seen the world opening up and returning to a sense of what we remember as being normal. But we have all accepted that our way of work and living has changed tremendously, and we're unlikely to return to the normal we knew.

The entire world has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet many innovative ideas and practices have also stemmed from this adversity. Technology is changing more rapidly than ever before in the history of mankind and has become an essential part of our world.

At Stellenbosch University (SU), we have done much to curb the impact of the pandemic and ensure the systemic sustainability of our institution. Over the past year, we have shared with you many of these innovations in this newsletter. These innovations have set us on the path towards augmented internationalisation as a means of strengthening our internationalisation efforts within a new global arena. They have also sustained us in our resolve to continue implementing SU's internationalisation strategy.

Augmented internationalisation has seen us develop programmes for students and staff at SU and its partner institutions to continue experiencing the benefits of mobility both physically and virtually. In October 2020 already, we presented our first online Global Week, when we encouraged students to take up hybrid mobility opportunities. Since then, we have seen an increase in students who choose to take up virtual mobility across the various programmes we present.

Our global partnership network and participation in international networks and consortia have also benefited much from our augmented internationalisation approach. In fact, SU has seen continued year-on-year growth in our partnerships since 2018, despite the restrictive conditions brought about by the pandemic since the start of 2020.

SU is determined to expand its internationalisation efforts, and moving towards augmented internationalisation has provided us with the opportunity to do so, enhancing and expanding our global footprint in the process. As we continue to navigate our new reality, we look forward to engaging with our international students and partners, whether in person or virtually.

• Prof Hester C. Klopper, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Strategy, Global and Corporate Affairs​

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Stellenbosch University has made it into the top 500 universities in the world for Computer Science, according to the 2022 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Subject Rankings for Computer Science.

Stellenbosch University (SU) came in at 491 for Computer Science, with another five South African universities making it onto the list: the University of Cape Town at 519, the University of Pretoria at 574, the University of KwaZulu-Natal at 689, the University of the Witwatersrand at 792 and Tshwane University of Technology at 887.

Prof Bernd Fischer, head of SU's Computer Science Division, says he views the ranking as confirmation of their long-term approach: “In teaching, we put a strong emphasis on fundamentals and independent work. We have a significant practical component, and most modules involve independent project work. In research we focus on a number of core areas, such as software development, theoretical computer science, data science and artificial intelligence."

Almost all the lecturers have doctoral degrees and are research active and the division is home to the only two A-rated computer scientists in the country (an A-rating by SA's National Research Foundation means that a researcher is unequivocally recognised by their peers as a leading international scholar in their field).

“Our students are highly sought after by industry, and many are offered position before they graduate," he adds.

• Click here if you are interested in pursuing a BSc-degree in computer science at SU.
• SU has introduced a new one-year structured master's programme in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, designed for students with a strong mathematical and computational background. The programme will start in 2022. Applications close 31 October 2021. Click here to find out more.
  

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Stellenbosch University Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Wim de Villiers, will put his metal to the test on Sunday, 10 October for this year's Cape Town Cycle Tour. A team of 19 cyclists consisting of alumni, staff, students and fighting-fit friends of the University are ready to set a cracker pace and negotiate slipstreams.

This is, of course, the largest time trial cycling race in the world – a fantastic opportunity to raise funds for the student-driven #Move4Food initiative, now also one of the priority initiatives of the University's Annual Fund, Bridge the Gap.

First, a pitstop at this initiative.

“#Move4Food aims to alleviate food shortages among students on SU's campuses. And, of course, the need these days is more urgent than ever. Since 2018, the campaign has been well supported in various ways, but hunger is an issue that can't afford complacency," says Siya Ndlovu, peer-to-peer fundraiser at SU's Development and Alumni Relations Division.

“There is a general perception that students at Stellenbosch University are fully funded, but this is not the case. Many students have poor access to basic necessities such as food and toiletries. The goal continues to be the provision of a sustainable model that provides students with dignified, stigma-free access to necessities, and to further strengthen the culture of ubuntu among students," he adds.

With the generous support of donors, the #Move4Food initiative has raised more than R1.4 million since 2018.

Prof De Villiers, who only weeks ago completed the 88km London to Brighton Cycle Ride to benefit the UK/EU Bursary Fund, says he is geared for this iconic cycle tour. “Assignments, tests, and extra-curricular activities put students under a lot of pressure, but nothing compares to not knowing where your next meal will come from. No student can reach their full potential on an empty stomach. #Move4Food has my, and the Matie community's, full support."

To support #Move4Food, please visit https://www.givengain.com/cc/su100/

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Emerging Scholars Initiative online and on the go

Just as the Emerging Scholars Initiative (ESI) of SU International's Africa Centre for Scholarship (ACS) started mobilising to host its envisaged multidisciplinary joint schools across Africa in 2020, the pandemic hit. But thanks to some clever footwork and agility, the initiative made the switch to cyberspace and has managed to host its first four schools amidst the challenges posed by COVID-19.

The ESI seeks to co-host joint schools with 12 Stellenbosch University (SU) partner universities in nine African countries, namely Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia. A number of the partner institutions also form part of the prestigious African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), which opens up further opportunities for collaboration and stronger ties between high-ranking African partners.

The initiative serves as an extension of the activities of the African Doctoral Academy (ADA), also situated in the ACS. The ADA's Stellenbosch-based schools, aimed at current and prospective PhD candidates, supervisors and researchers, has reached over 5 600 people from 55 countries since inception in 2009. Moreover, in 2016, the ADA launched its Joint Schools in Africa Programme to provide affordable and quality competency-based learning on-site at African partner institutions so as to enable and enhance scholarship and career training.

The ESI aims to accelerate this objective. Focusing on two streams – one for doctoral students and another for early-career staff, all identified as emerging scholars by their institutions – the project delivers courses on research methodology, supervision, academic writing and publishing as well as generic skills, depending on the needs and priorities of individual institutions. Courses are co-designed by facilitators from SU and from the partner or host institution. 

Fortunately, when the coronavirus pandemic compromised the ESI's ability to host these schools on-site, they could draw on the experience of the ADA, which has been hosting its doctoral schools fully online since July 2020. As a result, the ESI too managed to transition to a fully online teaching environment and has, this year to date, already hosted successful online multidisciplinary joint schools with Strathmore University (Kenya) in April, the University of Lagos (Nigeria) in May and June, and the University of Rwanda in August.

Building on the success of these first three schools, the ESI will continue enhancing scholarship in Africa, creating opportunities for collaboration, and strengthening SU's partnerships on the continent. At the same time, SU students gain exposure to new environments in Africa, which increases their global competence and offers enriching cross-cultural experiences.

Visit programme site here.

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