WHILE the Unisa Council operates within the vision and mission of the university, Mashukudu James Maboa, recently appointed Chairperson of Council, explains that one of the focus areas would be to improve information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure for both staff and students, especially in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The university has adopted an open, distance and e-learning (ODeL) strategy,” he adds, “and we cannot roll out the programme without a proper, efficient and well-capacitated ICT environment.”
Council, which is equivalent to a board of directors in the private sector, is, among other purposes listed in the Higher Education Act, set up to effectively govern the university, and provide oversight and strategic direction. In terms of strategic direction and what the university plans and aims to achieve, Council is guided mainly by the university’s Strategic Document and the Annual Performance Plan. “My role in Council is to provide leadership, ensure that policies and Council resolutions are implemented, and further ensure that committees within the Council are operating efficiently,” Maboa says.
Maboa asserts that other focus areas of improvement include output in terms of what the university does and produces, as well as financial sustainability. He would like to see improvement in areas such as research outputs and pass rates. According to him, these have implications for the stature of the university and public perception thereof.
Regarding financial sustainability, Maboa says it means that Council would have to focus more on third-stream income. “It would have to ensure that the university gets return-on-investment from its assets,” he says, “and also improve its fundraising activities through Unisa Foundation and Unisa Alumni. I realise that the COVID-19 pandemic has weakened the economy, which strains the university, hence an effective financial sustainability strategy needs to be in place.”
A track record second to none
Maboa’s career profile is remarkable. A chartered accountant (CA) by profession, and a registered auditor, he has been good with accounting from a young age. After being inspired by his friend’s father, who was a CA, he knew which profession he would follow.
He has vast experience in various fields including accounting, auditing, corporate governance, tax, developmental finance and broader corporate finance. His career highlights include an international secondment to Deloitte Boston in the United States of America. He is currently an Executive Director at Movundlela Consulting, heading up the Corporate Finance Division.
Maboa has previously served in non-executive roles on several boards and audit committees, in both the private and public sector. Institutions that made use of his expertise include the Government Employees Pension Fund, the Hosmed Medical Scheme, the Johannesburg Roads Agency, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, and the National School of Government.
His current board memberships include Eyesizwe Mining Pty Ltd, the Finance, Accounting, Management Consulting SETA, and NTP Radioisotopes SOC Ltd. He is also the Audit Committee Chairperson of the Medshield Medical Scheme, as well as the Construction SETA. Maboa is no stranger to Unisa, and has previously served as Chairperson of the Finance, Investment and Estates Committee of Council.
Appreciation of stakeholders
While Maboa appreciates various Unisa stakeholders, he is grateful to students and alumni for being patient with the university as it addresses their challenges. “Through interactions with structures such as the National Students’ Representative Council and the Convocation, I will assure that their issues are addressed and that service delivery improves,” he says.
Asking for support from alumni, he says: “good alumni who are interested in the activities of the university can only make the institution stronger and move it forward.” He urges staff to adapt to the new environment that the institution is operating in, and be flexible and agile in delivering on the university’s mandate.
Maboa concludes: “I urge the Unisa community to hang on and stay strong. Let us adhere to and comply with the COVID-19 regulations as this pandemic is very serious. We need to assist the government to fight the health crisis.”
PROFESSOR Thuli Madonsela, Chair in Social Justice at Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Law, has been appointed as Knight of the Legion of Honour, by French President Emmanuel Macron, the university said in a statement on Thursday.
The French Legion of Honour celebrates the accomplishments of distinguished individuals, irrespective of social background or nationality.
“I can’t find the right words to express the depth of my gratitude to the President and people of France for this immense honour. As indicated in respect of previous awards, I do my work to add value to humanity out of love and gratitude for the privileges life and humanity have given me and in pursuit of my duties,” said Madonsela.
“However, a recognition of this magnitude does inspire immense gratitude while spotlighting my work on social justice, the rule of law and ethical governance. I believe it comes from a place of appreciating our interconnectedness as humanity though separated by oceans and borders.”
Viewed as the highest decoration in France, it was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802.
Former President Nelson Mandela is a Grand-Croix recipient – in 1994.
Previous South African recipients of the degree Chevalier (Knight) include Nadine Gordimer, Ahmed Kathrada, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mamphela Ramphele, Miriam Makeba, André P. Brink and Zanele Muholi.
One of the knighthoods famous recipients is soccer legend and Real Madrid coach, Zinedine Zidane.
The title to Madonsela was conferred by Macron on 20 November 2020.
The official ceremony to bestow the insignia on Madonsela will take place as soon as the COVID-19 situation eases significantly on a date to be mutually agreed between the French Ambassador to South Africa, Aurelien Lechevallier and Madonsela.
University of Stellenbosch said in a statement that an announcement to this effect will be made as soon as the date is set.
Madonsela added that she accepted the honour on behalf of the Public Protector Team that worked with her in the pursuit of ethical and accountable government for seven years.
“I also accept the award on behalf of my colleagues at Stellenbosch University with whom we are pioneering research, policy reform and civic mobilisation on social justice with the hope of catalysing progress towards ending poverty and reducing structural inequality by 2030 in line with the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” said Madonsela.
“I also accept it on behalf of my Thuma Foundation colleagues, who are mostly volunteers dedicating their time and resources towards making democracy work for all through democracy leadership and literacy.”
In his letter to Madonsela, Ambassador Lechevallier said that Madonsela is honoured in recognition of her remarkable achievements in defence of the rule of law and the fight against corruption in South Africa.
THE term “Industry 4.0” has been used for years to describe the need for societies to adapt their work and productivity to the “4th Industrial Revolution”, in which new technologies bridge the virtual, physical and biological domains. These terms have become so dominant that governments have adopted them into their policies and planning.
Against this backdrop it is important to ask whether – and how – the world of science is effectively adapting to an ever more connected and data intensive world. Is there such a thing as “Science 4.0”? What does this mean for society?
As scientists who have been involved in research, technological development, advocacy, diplomacy and the realisation of societal benefits from science, we believe that yes, “Science 4.0” is real. It is about a revolution in which science is an integral part of society, rather than being confined to public or private laboratories and institutions of higher learning. It is about recognising that scientists are people, subjective and opinionated – and people are scientists, curious and eager to learn. It is about embracing new technologies to do better science more responsibly and more inclusively.
Over the past nearly three decades, we have observed trends that show what is possible. These include openness, the importance of data, artificial intelligence, inclusion and crucial changes in the culture of science.
Openness
The term “open science” was first captured by the Budapest Open Access Initiative in 2002. It originated from open source software and open access literature; it includes the openness of data, methods, software, results and publications.
Openness is a shift away from traditional thinking around the protectionism of intellectual property. Its benefits to science have become increasingly clear.
Today most organisations have policies of openness, from the National Institutes of Health in the US to UNESCO. The African Open Science Platform, meanwhile, aims to grow open science practices across the continent.
Several business ventures have emerged. The Center for Open Science, for instance, sees people generating value by helping scientists to make their science more open.
Data-driven science
Increasingly, scientific research involves very large data sets. From the massive genomics data to the data expected from future telescopes, data-intensive research is becoming the norm.
There is a shift in the scientific method from, for example, single observations to large scale statistical analyses. This progression calls for new infrastructure models to support scientific research. Cloud computing technologies are at the forefront of this shift; these combine easy access to and collaboration on data and analysis with high-performance computing.
Nowadays, data and codes are part of scientific publications. Containerisation, a technology that packages code and the computer environment in which codes are run, helps make results easily reproducible by others. Containers can be shared and cited.
AI scientists
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a tool of science as both data storage and computing power have become cheaper. Machine learning (computer algorithms improving with experience) is accelerating the rate of discovery in anything from drug development to image analysis.
AI is becoming advanced enough that it could do the whole cycle from hypothesis to result. As research accelerates, the rate of publications follows and AI can even be used to sift through the overwhelming literature. Scientific unions and other councils are also now discussing the ethics of AI.
Culture of science
Science 4.0 is not just a transformation of scientific tools and methods. It also affects the culture of science and how we evaluate scientific work. Outreach is increasingly valued as a part of a scientist’s tasks. Counting publications and citations is limited and doesn’t reflect the true impact of research.
Scientists are also admitting that science is done by people – and that means acknowledging their failings. Misconduct by scientists is not taken lightly. Science is slowly becoming more family friendly too, with some conferences offering childcare facilities.
One area that’s worth watching is the speed of science. The race to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 has demonstrated that science can be done fast, albeit sometimes at the expense of quality.
This speed may become more common in some areas of science. And that’s potentially a good thing because it brings the benefits of science to more people, more rapidly.
Inclusion
However, these new ways of science won’t benefit everyone unless scientists have a serious conversation about inclusion. For example, the pandemic also showed a disproportionate effect on women scientists as compared to men.
Inclusion has risen to the surface in recent years: minorities have denounced science as an unwelcoming space of rampant implicit bias that needs to be claimed by diverse identities. This has given rise to large grassroots visibility campaigns such as the #BlackInSTEM hashtag on social media and open conversations about inclusion.
In the developing world, academic isolation is a multifaceted challenge. Academics in relative isolation can become the targets of predatory publishers. Developing countries can be led to giving away their data, for example genomics of endemic species, or oral traditions recorded without permission but with misplaced good intentions of preservation.
This situation is not sustainable. Initiatives are emerging to ensure communities are involved and benefit from research carried out on them, on their environment, and ultimately their universe.
It is also worth noting the growth of citizen science and its evolution from passive data gathering to participatory approaches to research.
Role of Science 4.0 in a changing world
Progress in science is not about bringing more people into an ivory tower. It is about breaking down the tower completely and helping scientists work with and among people.
As the world grapples with building back better, the scientific community needs to display engaged leadership and play an active, humanistic role in shaping policies, public perceptions and technologies for a sustainable future.
PRESSURE is building on school systems around the U.S. to reopen classrooms to students who have been learning online for nearly a year, pitting politicians against teachers who have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
In Chicago, the rancor is so great that teachers are on the brink of striking. In California, a frustrated Gov. Gavin Newsom implored schools to find a way to reopen. In Cincinnati, some students returned to classrooms Tuesday after a judge threw out a teachers union lawsuit over safety concerns.
While some communities maintain that online classes remain the safest option for everyone, some parents, with backing from politicians and administrators, have complained that their children’s education is suffering from sitting at home in front of their computers and that the isolation is damaging them emotionally.
In Nashua, New Hampshire, the school board voted to stick with remote learning for most students until the city meets certain targets on infections, hospitalizations and tests coming back positive for the coronavirus.
Alicia Houston, whose sons are in sixth and 10th grade, said her biggest frustration is “not being able to help my children effectively,” even though she has quit her job to attempt just that.
“Watching them become a little bit darker,” she said last week. “Watching them fall apart. The emotional and mental health piece is one of the most important pieces. A trauma like this is not something they’re necessarily going to recover from right away.”
Some families and their supporters have argued, too, that reopening schools would enable parents to go back to work instead of staying home to oversee their children’s education.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a recent study that there is little evidence of the virus spreading at schools when precautions are taken, such as masks, distancing and proper ventilation.
But many teachers have balked at returning without getting vaccinated first against the scourge that has killed over 440,000 Americans.
Kathryn Person, a high school teacher in Chicago, wants to continue teaching remotely so she doesn’t risk the health of her 91-year-old grandmother and an aunt battling lung cancer. Person said she trusts the union will fight school officials if they try to punish teachers who won’t go back.
“If they try to retaliate, when that happens we will go on strike,” she said.
In California, with 6 million public school students, teachers unions say they won’t send their members into an unsafe situation.
Newsom, a Democrat, has said he will not force schools to reopen but instead wants to give them an incentive and has proposed a $2 billion plan that has met with criticism from superintendents, unions and lawmakers. It would give schools extra funding for COVID-19 testing and other safety measures if they resume in-person classes. Schools that reopen sooner would get more money.
Newsom told educators that he is willing to negotiate but that certain demands, including the call by unions to have all teachers vaccinated before school starts, are unrealistic given the shortage of shots.
“If everybody has to be vaccinated, we might as well just tell people the truth: There will be no in-person instruction in the state of California,” he said.
The biggest districts, including Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, say the plan sets unrealistic rules and timelines.
“The virus is in charge right now and it does not own a calendar,” the 300,000-member California Teachers Association warned in a letter. “We cannot just pick an artificial calendar date and expect to flip a switch on reopening every school for in-person instruction.”
President Joe Biden’s administration and Republican senators have dueling proposals for stimulus packages that would distribute billions of dollars to help schools get children back into classrooms.
About 10,000 Chicago teachers and staff and 62,000 students in kindergarten through eighth grade were supposed to return to school Monday for the first time since last March. But the Chicago school system extended remote learning for two more days and called for a cooling-off period in negotiations with the teachers union.
Districtwide efforts to vaccinate Chicago’s teachers won’t begin until the middle of February.
In several states, lawmakers are advancing legislation to require more in-person learning.
An Iowa law, signed on Friday by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, requires districts to offer full-time in-class instruction to parents who request it. Despite concerns that teachers still haven’t been vaccinated, they are set to return this month.
In North Carolina, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper faces pressure from GOP lawmakers to reopen more schools. In South Carolina, a bipartisan push to get students back in class five days a week is underway.
“After this pandemic is over, I hope to never do another Zoom call,” said House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, a Democrat. “I hate it. I can’t stand them. I can’t imagine being in third or fourth grade and having to stare at a screen in order to learn.”
In Utah, the Salt Lake City school system announced plans to resume in-person learning for at least two days per week under pressure from lawmakers who threatened to cut funding.
The schools chief in Washington state is pushing for teachers to get vaccinated when it’s their turn but also insisting they get back to classrooms immediately, shot or not.
“The bottom line is a vaccine is a tremendous safety net, but it is never the thing that is going to create the perfect scenario,” said Chris Reykdal, superintendent of public instruction.
Emily VanDerhoff, a first-grade teacher in Fairfax County, Virginia, and a union official, was scheduled to be vaccinated last Friday. But she and others saw their appointments canceled when the vaccine supply ran low.
The Fairfax County superintendent has unveiled a tentative plan for students to start returning on Feb. 16, but the union says less than 10% of teachers feel it is safe to return.
“Even once we’re all vaccinated, it’s still going to take having lower community spread for people to feel safe and for it to be safer to have students in the schools,” VanDerhoff said.
THE GAUTENG education department has incurred an amount of more than R1bn on irregular expenditures for the 2019/20 financial year, according to the Democratic Alliance in Gauteng.
This information was revealed in the department’s 2019/20 annual report, the party’s shadow MEC for education, Khume Ramulifho, said on Wednesday.
“According to the Auditor-General, effective steps were not taken to prevent irregular expenditure amounting to more than R1 billion. This irregular expenditure is as a result of non-compliance in respect of procurement and contract management,” said Ramulifho.
“The reports of more than R 431 million in irregular expenditure purported to be used to decontaminate schools last year clearly confirms that the department is disregarding the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).”
He said senior management have failed to adequately review and monitor compliance with the PFMA and treasury regulations.
“There are number of allegations of procurement irregularities, financial misconduct, fraud, and theft relating to prior years,” he said.
“The DA has tabled written questions to the Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) to establish the status of investigations into these allegations.”
However, the Gauteng department of education has fired back at the DA after the opposition party claimed R1 billion in irregular expenditure was incurred by the department in the last financial year.
According to department spokesperson Steve Mabona, the party misread the recently released financial report, stating the department only incurred R14 million in irregular expenditure for the 2019-2020 year as disclosed in its financial statements.
Mabona went on to dispute a previous claim that the R431 million the department spent on cleaning and decontaminating schools last year was irregular.
This was because the 2020-2021 financial statements had not yet been audited.
Mabona added that an investigation was underway into the massive cleaning bill.
ACTRESS and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador, Nomzamo Mbatha, is doing her part in helping ensure that South Africa’s children receive a quality education despite COVID-19.
Through her foundation, the Nomzamo Mbatha Lighthouse Foundation, the actress has put R1 million towards sending children to school and helping them access school supplies. The foundation teamed up with betting company, Hollywood Bets, to help vulnerable students pay for their school fees and other education-related expenses.
In January 2020, when the partnership began, the foundation was able to donate R500,000 worth of bursaries to tertiary students across the country — and this year they have doubled the commitment.
The actress took to Twitter earlier this week to share how her foundation plans to help South Africa’s school children this year.
“In the beginning of the year… we announced that we… are going to be giving away R1 million worth of bursaries to individuals who have outstanding fees, individuals that need registration money, or whatever the need may be,” she said.
The pandemic’s socio-economic impacts have affected school attendance and access to education in South Africa.
In November 2020 the Department of Education confirmed that more than 300,000 primary school children had dropped out of school possibly due to being unable to afford tuition fees and school supplies.
As 2.2 million adults lost their jobs last year due to the pandemic, a loss of household income could have a direct impact on school fee affordability.
Furthermore, children living in poverty may have also fallen far behind in class last year and are the least likely to catch up as many schools turned to online learning during the national lockdown, despite a large number of South African households being unable to afford computers or internet access.
Mbatha explained that the entries to apply for a bursary had since closed, however, the foundation is planning to continue its support of South Africa’s school children by donating school supplies for those in need.
“Together with Unilever as well as our friends at Cotton On Foundation and Cotton On, we as the Lighthouse Foundation will be gifting primary schools in KZN [KwaZulu-Natal], Polokwane, Gauteng, and the Western Cape with jerseys, school shoes, and goodies from Cotton On as well as Unilever,” the actress announced.
She also said that the foundation would be supporting the Grade 10 learners of a selected high school in the Eastern Cape.
Mbatha then called on South Africans to put forward the names of primary schools and high schools in the announced provinces that may be in need of support so that they can benefit from the foundation.
“Please, if you are an educator, or even if you are a neighbour, or even if you are a local, if you know that that school is deserving, send an email to info@nomzamolighthouse.org and tell us about the school and why it deserves for us to support it.”
She ended the video with a thank you to her followers for believing in the foundation.
She said: “Thank you so much for believing in this foundation and of course, the work that I do, which is, as our motto says, to stand in the gap of society’s most marginalised and society’s most vulnerable.”
AFRICA’s space science may not be ready to send a manned craft to the moon, but the recent discoveries of two new giant radio galaxies using South Africa’s powerful MeerKAT telescope have served as a reminder of the continent’s growing space scientific capacity – and the potential of the field to contribute to economic growth, environmental safety and food security.
In the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, on 14 December 2020, Dr Jacinta Delhaize, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Cape Town, and her associates reported that giant radio galaxies were spotted in new radio maps of the sky that were created by the International Gigahertz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration (MIGHTEE) survey.
The survey team used the MeerKAT radio telescope that consists of 64 antennas and dishes that are located in the Northern Cape province of South Africa.
Highlighting the importance of the discovery in an article in The Conversation, Delhaize, a physicist and a radio astronomer specialising in galaxy evolution, said the discovery offers fresh insights into the universe.
“Our discovery gives clues about how galaxies have changed and evolved throughout cosmic history,” she said.
The MeerKAT radio telescope is more or less a big eye, allowing African astronomers and their associates to scan the distant galactic universe.
According to Delhaize, based on what is currently known, the probability of detecting giant radio galaxies is negligible – about 0.0003%.
What that means is that, although hundreds of thousands of radio galaxies have been discovered over time, only about 800 have radio jets bigger than 700 kiloparsecs in size. A kiloparsec (kpc) is a measurement of distance equal to 1,000 parsecs or 3,260 light years.
But according to Delhaize, their new discoveries are more significant in that the two giant radio galaxies are each about two megaparsecs (mpc) across, which is about 6.5 million light years. One megaparsec is a unit of measure for distances in intergalactic space equal to one million parsecs.
In comparison, each one of those two giant radio galaxies is about 62 times the size of the Milky Way, the galaxy that contains the solar system, noted Delhaize.
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust, and billions of stars and their solar systems, all held together by gravity.
The exciting discoveries were made because MeerKAT is currently one of the best telescopes being used by astronomers to explore the outer universe. Expectations are high that more secrets in the sky will be revealed when MeerKAT will be connected to the Square Kilometre Array, a transcontinental telescope system that will be built between 2021 and 2027 and will be hosted by South African and Australia.
According to a briefing from the Square Kilometre Array project, on completion, the network will eventually use thousands of dishes and up to a million antennas will enable astronomers to monitor and survey the entire sky much faster than any system currently being used.
In this regard, South Africa will host the core of the high- and mid-frequency dishes, ultimately extending over the African continent, while Australia will host the low-frequency antennas.
Improve economic growth
But, while Africa seems to make significant progress in space technology, space science is not limited to peering into the skies in search of galaxies and other extraterrestrial bodies. Versatile satellite technology could be used to improve the continent’s economic growth.
Amid efforts to train future African experts in space sciences, the African Union has assigned the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) in South Africa to host the Pan African Institute of Space Sciences, which is one of the five nodes of the Pan African University, a post-graduate education, training and research network supported by the continental body.
Cape Peninsula will work in collaboration with seven other South African universities: Stellenbosch University, the University of Cape Town, North-West University, Durban University of Technology, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the University of Fort Hare and the University of Pretoria.
The consortium will bring together expertise in satellite engineering, space physics, satellite communications, space navigation, astronomy and Earth observations.
The choice of CPUT to coordinate the PAU’s academic and research programmes in space sciences stems from the university’s successful space education projects in the past decade, having launched several CubeSats, or nanosatellites, into space.
Unlike elsewhere in Africa, South Africa’s involvement in space science can be traced back to amateur rocket launch activities in the 1950s.
Three years ago, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology launched a nanosatellite code-named ZA-Cube-2, a move that, in 2019, attracted R27 million (about US$2 million) in funding from the South African government, for the university to build three more nanosatellites for ocean monitoring and environmental fire detection.
“We will be working with Cape Peninsula to develop their next generation of nanosatellites,” said Dr Phil Mjwara, the director general of South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology.
Early warning systems
Whereas South African universities are highly developed in teaching and undertaking research in a wide range of space-related sciences in comparison to counterparts elsewhere in the continent, space science programmes have started emerging in other African universities, mostly at club level.
In Kenya, eight universities, have space science programmes, mostly in geospatial, atmospheric and Earth observation sciences. Similarly, in Nigeria, six public universities have developed space science courses related to Earth observation sciences and technologies.
Outside South Africa, most of the space science in Africa is geared towards Earth observations to collect early warning data on natural and human-made disasters that would impact on development.
Towards this goal, African space researchers have great interest in remote sensing satellites for the monitoring of climate change, destruction of the environment through forest fires, illegal logging and mining, wildlife management, the spread of pollution and other environmental damage.
According to Professor Sarah Anyang Agbor, the commissioner for human resources, science and technology at the African Union Commission, there is an urgent need to demystify space sciences by popularising it through teaching and research at the universities.
“Space science-based solutions are necessary for the effective management of resources,” Agbor pointed out.
Africa Space Week
But, beyond the long-range sustainable development agenda, the African Union is viewing immediate economic benefits that could be accrued from a rejuvenated African space industry.
For instance, during the first Africa Space Week that will be organised by the African Union Commission in Nairobi, from 20-26 March, space industry stakeholders, decision-makers and solutions and services providers as well as end-users will come together to map out strategies for growing the niche industry.
One of the objectives of the Nairobi forum will be to build a community of space actors that will continuously engage and raise awareness on the importance of the space science industry in the continent.
The event will also provide a platform for strengthening intra-Africa and international collaborations on space activities, as well as identifying capacity development opportunities to nurture nascent competencies of African space managers, experts, researchers and professionals.
Currently, Africa’s space industry is now estimated to be generating more than US$7 billion annually and this is expected to exceed US$10 billion by 2024.
According to Temidayo Oniosun, the founder of Space in Africa, Africa’s space industry is currently undergoing a renaissance.
“In Mali, satellites are helping nomadic herdsmen find water for their cattle; in Angola and Rwanda, satellites are used to connect rural classrooms to the internet, while the industry is entertaining millions with profitable TV programmes across Africa,” said Oniosun.
Estimates indicate more than 8,500 people are currently employed in the African space industry and the industry’s growth is being driven by private economies and international partnerships.
For instance, in December last year, the European Union announced a grant of €82.5 million, an equivalent of US$100 million, for the support of various digital and space technology projects in Africa.
According to Jutta Urpilainen, the European commissioner for international partnerships, the funds will be used to strengthen satellite technology in the monitoring of food security, governance of natural resources and modernisation of air navigation systems.
As the organisers of Africa Space Week pointed out, African decision-makers have realised the potential use of space science and the pressing need for capacity-building in the sector.
One way of hastening the progress is for the African space science community to build on the success stories, such as the new discovery of the two giant radio galaxies, using the South African MeerKAT.
APPLICATIONS are now available for talented South African learners and students from low-income backgrounds interested in studying in the United States are encouraged to apply for the EducationUSA Opportunity Funds Program (OFP).
OFP supports learners and students to apply for scholarships and admission to colleges and universities in the United States.
Over the last eight years, the dedicated EducationUSA team has helped more than 2, 200 exceptional South African students make their dream of studying in the United States come true.
Learners and students with a strong academic record, robust participation in extracurricular activities, involvement in leadership roles, and an excellent community service record are encouraged to apply to the program.
OFP finances the cost of the application process, including registration fees for the required standardized examinations.
This free of charge EducationUSA Program includes seminars and meetings that prepare South African citizens or permanent residents to apply for and pursue undergraduate or graduate studies in America.
“My journey was far from linear, it took twists and turns but it ultimately led me to a place where I am living out my dreams,” said Luka Radosavljevic, a South African student currently studying materials science and engineering at Cornell University.
“In 2016, I was working with EducationUSA on my applications to universities in the U.S. My immense financial need only made my chances slimmer but one of the EducationUSA advisers connected me with community colleges and I eventually received a full tuition scholarship,” he said.
Through hard work at community college and perseverance, Luka managed to transfer to Cornell and is on track to complete his studies.
The OFP undergraduate program is open to current matriculants and gap year students only. Students who wish to pursue postgraduate studies in the United States are requested to complete the graduate application form.
Successful applicants will work with a team of EducationUSA advisers from April 2021 to August 2022 to try to secure places and financial assistance to begin study in the U.S. in August 2022.
BY CECILE GERWEL PROCHES, UPASANA SINGH, CRISTY LEASK, CRAIG BLEWETT and SIMON TAYLOR|
THE year 2020 saw major disruption as a result of the diverse impacts of the global pandemic, COVID-19. Many countries, including South Africa, implemented lockdown measures, which resulted in citizens having to “stay at home”.
This had a severe impact on education, especially for Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in South Africa, which resulted in learners suddenly having to depart their institutions of learning.
During this crisis, online learning was considered the best way to support the academic program in most HEIs.
Many students and HEI staff were confronted with the harsh reality of how online learning is impacted by data costs, Internet access, connectivity, technological capabilities, and having a conducive space to work from home.
While much of the emphasis has been on the plight of undergraduate learners in the South African context, our research explored the attitudes of postgraduate students in a South African university, who had to suddenly transition from traditional face-to-face to online learning in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Postgraduate learners are typically more mature, tend to have higher levels of motivation, and may also be in full-time employment.
Classes are smaller, and learning is often group and project-based, emphasising high levels of engagement.
Networking is also important, especially for working postgraduate students, who are often taught with adult learning theories in mind.
The emphasis is on trying to make theory as practical as possible, especially for those who work.
Working postgraduate learners also appreciate going to a campus to study in order to have time away from the demands of work and home.
Those who work may be funded by their employers and may have access to a computer/laptop and Internet connection. So it may be assumed that this cohort of students should, in theory, be in a better position to transition to online learning.
Our study has shed light on the diverse experiences of the postgraduate students in the COVID-19 era, and how multiple demands on their time impact their ability to fully engage and embrace the online learning experience.
Our research revealed that postgraduate learners have to balance multiple responsibilities relating to work, family, and studies.
The results highlighted how mature adult postgraduate learners had to sometimes share devices in the home with children and/or a spouse/partner during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of those who did not work were concerned about future employment and personal financial worries.
Our research revealed, as depicted in Figure 1 below, how the critical elements of continued support from lecturers as well as the support from course administrators were in facilitating learning.
Some learners also had to assist school children with their own online learning, which was related to schools being closed for a few months during the lockdown period in South Africa.
Figure 1: The Emergency Online Learning Model (EOL) for Commerce Coursework Postgraduate students at a South African University
Postgraduate learners may require more support from their lecturers, given their multiple demands. Having a private space to study at home is important, as well as being technologically competent to master online learning, more so, for those who are older.
Some students also valued networking with study peers and studying together, which largely disappeared during online learning.
The impact of COVID-19 on their studies led to some experiencing difficulties communicating with other students, no access to the library, increased work pressure, anxiety in respect of the disease, an uncertain future, reduced salary, and for some, complete upheaval in respect of the plans that they had pre-COVID.
The transition to online learning did however have benefits, with some postgraduate students enjoying having to travel less, saving petrol money, and the ease with which they can log in from anywhere at any time, and access recorded lectures.
It is also clear that there are differences between postgraduate learners who are based in campus residences versus those who are off-campus. Some thus highlighted that while it was difficult to initially transition to online learning, that they were not comfortable in this mode.
Our research emphasised the need for postgraduate learners to be adaptable and engage a new mindset to ensure survival in the era of online learning. Postgraduate learners need to be equipped to become technologically competent and able to balance the multiple aspects of their lives, given that online learning may increasingly become part of the ‘new norm’.
Our study has led to a few recommendations to facilitate online learning for postgraduate learners:
● Postgraduate learners require a dedicated laptop, reliable internet connection ideally with uncapped data, and conducive working space. They also require relevant training to assist with transitioning to online learning. It is important that learners are flexible, adaptable, self-motivated, and willing to embrace change, specifically in a crisis.
● Adult learners need to be disciplined and able to manage their time, given that some may have children and/or are in relationships, and/or have to care for elderly family members and an extended family, which is often congruent with the nature of the collectivist culture that many find themselves in. If online learning continues, then HEIs will need to explore ways to provide support, given the changing context.
● The timing of the live online lessons with postgraduate learners needs to be carefully considered, given their work and family commitments. This also points to the need for a shift of approach from teaching towards learning where content pacing and engagement are more learner-controlled than lecturer-controlled.
● A more personal level of timely contact appears to be the preferred mode of communication when assisting postgraduate learners, rather than generic institution-wide broadcasts. This is both because it enables the addressing of unique needs within a school as well as providing a level of personal contact that is missing in online teaching and learning.
● Possible future plans regarding the adoption of online learning in HEIs should further explore and incorporate the diverse, lived experiences of postgraduate adult learners, and how best to make online learning work, given the challenging situation that many are in with respect to their time. Postgraduate learners are generally more driven, motivated, and desire self-actualization, but may now perhaps find themselves having to reassess personal goals, with the pandemic having negatively affected many personal objectives and ambitions.
Understanding the diverse perspectives of postgraduate learners can assist HEIs in making adjustments to curricula and teaching pedagogies, to ensure better learner outcomes for both future online learning and planned online learning scenarios.
The perspective of 100% research postgraduate students deserves attention as well. This research also illustrates to policymakers and leadership that a one-size-fits-all approach has limitations.
Emergency measures called for rapid action to be taken; however, moving forward, more attention needs to be paid to the multiple differences in the study body. The Department of Education has called for increased postgraduate enrolments and for South Africa to be a knowledge economy. Given our challenging circumstances, how do we make this happen at our HEIs, in light of online learning?
This research expands the horizon into the implementation of online learning for postgraduate learners during rapid change, characterized by high levels of complexity, to allow continued access to quality Higher Education.
Students are regarded as a key stakeholder or even as a “customer” in some instances in HEIs. As such, understanding their perspective of the transition to online learning is imperative.
Our research also poses questions for further consideration. Students with disabilities could become invisible online. This means that more care and thought needs to be put into employing in developing online learning material.
How can networking, peer support, social interaction, and group engagement best be achieved for postgraduate learners in the online environment? Now that online teaching and learning may be here to stay, how do the key stakeholders, including academics, support staff, and parents, actually feel?
We also need to remember that academics themselves faced major transitions, such as remote working and decreased support, so how do academics in particular, who are often the only face the students may see, best serve postgraduate students in the new norm?
This article was written by Cecile Gerwel Proches, Upasana Singh, Cristy Leask, Craig Blewett and Simon Taylor fromUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
IN a setback that may have long-term consequences, the prolonged closure of schools in Africa due to virus-related restrictions has hampered children’s learning, according to a UN official.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Rajat Madhok, the chief of communication advocacy and partnerships at the UNICEF office in Rwanda, said there are fears that schools’ prolonged closure due to coronavirus may lead students to drop out of school.
He added: “Without the safety net that schools often provide, students are more vulnerable to abuse, including child labor and sexual violence.”
Saying that it is unfortunate that children in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, are once again missing schools, Madhok added that he is glad that educational institutions were not closed nationwide.
“We hope this is a temporary closure and the schools will be prioritized for reopening when the next review is done,” he said.
The second wave of the virus led schools that opened briefly to again close their doors, triggering further concerns.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, all educational institutions from primary to university were recently closed. In Rwanda, schools in the capital Kigali were suspended. The Southeastern African country of Malawi also announced the closure of schools for another three weeks, and many other countries followed suit.
In 2014, when schools were closed in West Africa due to the Ebola outbreak, pregnancy rates among teenagers in Sierra Leone reportedly doubled, and many girls were unable to return to school after they reopened.
According to the World Bank, school closures in sub-Saharan Africa led to lifetime income losses of $4,500 per child – a huge sum for most people in the region.
This may also be compounded by the reduced income of the parents forced to stay at home to take care of the children, especially in households that cannot afford childcare services.
“Whenever possible, schools should remain open, especially primary and pre-primary schools, because the risk of transmission in these settings is lowest,” added Madhok.
Online education
Former Rwanda Education Minister Silas Lwakabamba said based on national statistics, countries should generally elect to use remote learning.
“The world is now headed towards using online learning; there is no other choice. While the internet may not be affordable to all, some technologies are affordable. Students can follow lessons on radio and television,” he said.
Children at different levels in Rwanda took recourse to remote learning since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. After schools reopened for a brief period, the government once again advised schools to go back to remote learning.
Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for Africa, believes that schools have paved the way to success for many Africans, providing a safe environment for many children in challenging circumstances.
“We must not be blindsided by our efforts to contain COVID-19 and end up with a lost generation,” she urged.
“Just as countries are opening businesses safely, we can reopen schools. This decision must be guided by a thorough risk analysis to ensure the safety of children, teachers, and parents and with key measures like physical distancing put in place.”
She said this is not the first African countries have faced a pandemic, referring to the outbreak of Ebola and other diseases.
Lack of access to hygiene
Guidelines by the WHO and UNICEF to stem the spread of COVID-19 in schools call for maintaining physical distancing, suspending school events to avoid crowding, spacing desks wherever possible, installing handwashing facilities, wearing masks, discouraging unnecessary touching, and keeping sick students and teachers at home.
But experts say most of the schools on the continent lack sufficient water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure.
In sub-Saharan Africa, only a quarter of schools have access to basic hygiene. Just 44% have access to basic drinking water and 47% have basic sanitation services, according to a WHO and UNICEF report.
With over 3.3 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and a death toll of nearly 81,000 as of Jan. 21, infections are still rising in the African continent, where most countries decided to reopen schools in early January. But then many of them decided to postpone the reopening and continue with online learning.
