Universities South Africa
EDF News
Enhancing teacher education through PrimTEd
Interventions aimed at improving teacher education and development in South Africa – particularly concerning the teaching of languages and mathematics – are beginning to pay...
The AI challenges facing African languages
While artificial intelligence (AI) tools offer a wealth of opportunities in the integration of indigenous languages, they also raise questions about inaccuracy, ethical concerns and...
Misconceptions surrounding exams standardisation
The standardisation of external examination results is an internationally acceptable process that takes place in every country under the control and management of its various...
Teacher training programmes must respond to South Africa’s national priorities
The quality of South Africa’s teacher training programmes came under scrutiny during a high-level discussion convened by the national Department of Basic Education with education...
The Education Deans’ Forum expresses concern over funding crisis
The year 2024 is a difficult time to be a leader in higher education, considering diminishing government funding evident in the National Student Financial Aid...
USAf’s Education Deans’ Forum acquires new leadership
The inaugural meeting of the Education Deans’ Forum (EDF) on 6 March saw the deans electing new office bearers, recognising that the term of office...
What follows the Joint Colloquium of Mathematicians, Linguists and Education Deans?
The Joint Colloquium on Multilingualism in the teaching and learning of Mathematics in Higher Education –Enhancing Success achieved its intended objectives with success, says the...
Mathematics teachers in the Venda region of Limpopo need to disclose the secret behind their high success rate
South Africa needs to study why TshiVenda communities produce an astronomical number of actuaries for this country, and why the Venda region of the Limpopo...
State funding for universities’ language initiatives could increase with compelling evidence of potentially bigger impact
The year 2023 marks the first year that the government has given more money to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) – an amount...
The changing profile of university students calls for a decolonial re-thinking of higher education, says Professor Emmanuel Mgqwashu
Despite all the financial and human resources pumped into higher education in South Africa, the depressing educational outcomes remain the same. Throughput, pass and dropout...
Teachers preferred adapting words from English rather than using coined terms in their first languages — a study revealed
Last week, Universities South Africa (USAf) held a Colloquium on Multilingualism in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics – Enhancing Success but framing mathematics education...
Learners run away from any career that requires mathematical competence, says Dr Mxiwoxolo Krexe
At the recent Joint Colloquium on Multilingualism in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics – Enhancing Success, Dr Mziwoxolo Krexe of theDepartment of Adult, Foundation Phase...
A framework for thinking about languages and literacies towards university mathematics curriculum for access and transformation
To make a case for a curriculum that encourages greater access and transformation, a mathematics education language development specialist used students’ talk about their experiences,...
Language is fundamental, but is not always the only enabler for university mathematics success
Results from research into engineering mathematics of students in the University of Cape Town’s Engineering Extended Programme showed that female students (58.6%) outperformed their male...
Research exploring alternatives to one-size-fits-all solutions to students’ Academic Literacy needs
Critical research is being done into improving curriculum responsiveness to enhance responding to students’ needs in both teaching and assessment. This is to move away...
Why meaning making is critical in multilingual mathematics classrooms
Professor Anthony Essien, Associate Professor in Mathematics Education and Interim Numeracy Chair, Wits School of Education used a rainfall chart to show his audience how...
Multilingual mathematics classrooms can enhance learner understanding, change attitudes towards mathematics and increase success
Africa is endowed with works of art available for classroom illustration of various mathematical concepts from elementary schooling, all the way to university instruction —...
Multilingual education provision is invaluable provided this model is appropriately resourced, says a higher education top executive
Learning environments allowing students to exchange mathematical ideas in their mother tongue enable learners to grasp complex concepts more naturally and deeply, thereby turning multilingualism...
Issues warranting priority attention in universities’ pursuit of multilingualism in mathematics teaching and learning
Each of the three communities of practice (CoPs) that jointly hosted last week’s Colloquium on Multilingualism in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics – Enhancing...
USAf’s three groups congregate at Stellenbosch University this Thursday to explore multilingual mathematics education in higher education
About 70 delegates representing all public universities in South Africa are expected to descend on Stellenbosch University this Thursday, 17 August, 2023. These are members...
USAf’s three Communities of Practice to explore Multilingualism in the teaching and learning of mathematics at universities
August 17 is a very special day for Universities South Africa (USAf), the representative body of South Africa’s 26 public universities. It marks the gathering...
EDF’s further investigation into the Teacher Supply and Demand Study gains support from education stakeholders
In 2019, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) commissioned Stellenbosch University to carry out the Teacher Supply and Demand Study to understand the national landscape in...
Universities SA’s Education Deans’ Forum is leading the formation of a continent-wide collaboration platform
Inadequate funding, inadequate teacher training and limited access to educational resources are among numerous challenges that Africa seems to be grappling with, concerning education systems. It...
Deans must be adequately resourced to perform their multi-faceted functions at universities
A good look at South Africa’s education budget raises questions about whether the State resources this sector adequately, while another glimpse into universities raises the question...
DHET concerns regarding students still in the pipeline for phased-out ITE programmes
At the second meeting of Universities South Africa’s Education Deans’ Forum (EDF, recently, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) was invited to address...
Can 4IR and Decolonisation ideologies co-exist and be of mutual benefit in higher education?
The emergence of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) could potentially submerge the bellowing of decolonisation in higher education by previously marginalised groups, especially considering the...
Higher Education in the melting pot: Emerging discourses of the 4IR and Decolonisation
Out of the deliberations of a September 2019 colloquium of the Education Deans Forum, where the deans explored the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and its...
DBE seeks to strengthen collaboration with universities to achieve a more effective basic education system
During their first sitting for the year in February 2022, education deans from public universities heard pleas of senior officials from the Department of Basic...
USAf’s Education Deans’ Forum made 2020 count, amidst challenges
Deans of Education from South Africa’s 26 public universities used the last meeting of the Education Deans’ Forum (EDF) for 2020 to reflect on this...