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21 June 2018 Photo Oteng Mpete
Education researcher tackles realities of Fourth Industrial Revolution
Dr Makeresemese Qhosola recently engaged audiences in New York at the American Educational Research Association’s Annual Conference.
The current research of Dr Makeresemese Qhosola, from the University of the Free State’s (UFS), Faculty of Education focused on a broad theme of accounting and its alignment to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. She is passionate about it because the role of accounting has evolved over the years in response to ever-changing market demands. It evolved from the First Industrial Revolution, which focused on the size of a factory, machinery and the labour force, and now it is concerned with the looming era of artificial intelligence and the internet of things.

Tackling the present for future solutions  
Dr Qhosola’s research is important because it interrogates the past to find solutions for the future. “The curriculum of South Africa is still challenged by the imperatives of the Third Industrial Revolution which saw the automation of the accounting process and other business processes in isolation from each other. This challenge is born of historical factors that are still inherent in the contemporary, like poverty in most South African communities, and a lack of infrastructure and resources that supported this industry and demanded learners be taught automated accounting like Pastel.
 
“Even though learners are mostly exposed to the basic knowledge and skill of accounting from schools, many of them seem to be dysfunctional when they join the world of work, due to a lack of knowledge and experience of the computerised systems,” purported Dr Qhosola.
 
Her research methodology is the Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach and is supported with the use of the Critical Accounting Research (CAR). “I use it as my lens of choice for framing my project, because its purpose is to ensure the use of accounting does not represent a certain interest at the expense of others, especially marginalised groups,” said Dr Qhosola.
 
Future of accounting looks good
“The question remains: ‘How do we better prepare ourselves for this revolution that seems capable of rendering many accounting jobs redundant?’ We must thoroughly prepare our students for the job market after the completion of their studies.” 
 
Dr Qhosola owes her recent success to Prof Loyiso Jita, Dean of the UFS Faculty of Education. “He initiated a mentorship programme for black women in 2017 and it has created a platform for me to go out and learn more,” she said. She also holds former UFS Dean of Education, Prof Sechaba Mahlomaholo close to her heart, because of his continued mentorship and support through the world of academia. 

International recognition and achievement 
Dr Qhosola was recently invited to the American Educational Research Association (AERA), in New York. The AERA strives to advance knowledge about education, to encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and to promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good.
 
The conference provides an opportunity to learn about new developments and current issues that require the attention of researchers. It is also a good platform to meet educational proponents and theorists from across the globe. “We read and use their work almost every day and never get an opportunity to meet them and really interact with them,” said Dr Qhosola.
 
A proposal acceptance from AERA is a recognised disciplinary achievement. The AERA conference is a highly competitive peer review process because there are 12 000 to 14 000 proposals a year that compete for a slot on the conference programme. These numbers include both experienced and beginner researchers. 

News Archive

UFS keeps the power on
2015-06-24

 

At a recent Emergency Power Indaba held on the Bloemfontein Campus, support structures at the university met to discuss the Business Continuity Intervention Plan to manage load shedding on the three campuses of the UFS.

Currently, 35 generators serving 55 of the buildings have already been installed as a back-up power supply on the three campuses of the university. According to Anton Calitz, Electrical Engineer at the UFS, the running cost to produce a kWh of electricity with a diesel generator amounts to approximately three times the cost at which the UFS buys electricity from Centlec.

Planned additional generators will attract in excess of R4 million in operating costs per year. For 2015, the UFS senior leadership approved R11 million, spread over the three campuses. Remaining requirements will be spread out over the next three years. University Estates is also looking at renewable energy sources.

On the Bloemfontein Campus, 26 generators serving forty-one buildings are in operation. On South Campus, two generators were installed at the new Education Building and at the ICT Server Room. Lecture halls, the Arena, the Administration Building, and the library will be added later in 2015. Eight generators serving 12 buildings are in operation on the Qwaqwa Campus. In 2015, the Humanities Building, Lecture Halls and the heat pump room will also be equipped with generators.

Most buildings will be supplied only with partial emergency power. In rare cases, entire buildings will be supplied because the cost of connecting is lower than re-wiring for partial demand. According to Nico Janse van Rensburg, Senior Director at University Estates, emergency power will be limited to lighting and power points only. No allowances will be made for air-conditioning.

“Most area lighting will also be connected to emergency power,” he said.

Where spare capacity is available on existing emergency power generators, requests received for additional connections will be added, where possible, within the guidelines. The following spaces will receive preference:
- Lecture halls with the lights, data projectors, and computers running
- Laboratories for practical academic work and sensitive research projects
- Academic research equipment that is sensitive to interruptions
- Buildings hosting regular events

According to Janse van Rensburg, all further needs will be investigated. Staff can forward all emergency power supply needs to Anton Calitz at calitzja@ufs.ac.za

Staff and students can also manage load shedding in the following ways:

1. Carry a small torch with you at all times, in case you are on a stairwell or other dark area when the lights go out. You can also use the flashlight app on your phone. Download it before any load shedding occurs. This can come in handy if the lights go out suddenly, and you cannot find a flashlight. Load-shedding after dark imposes even more pressure on our Campus Security staff. We can assist them with our vigilance and preparedness by carrying portable lights with us at all times and by assisting colleagues.
2. Candles pose a serious safety risk. Rather use battery- or solar-powered lights during load shedding.
3. Ensure that your vehicle always has fuel in the tank, because petrol stations cannot pump fuel during power outages.
4. Ensure that you have enough cash, because ATMs cannot operate without electricity.
5. The UFS Sasol Library has study venues available which students can use during load shedding.
6. When arranging events which are highly dependent on power supply, especially at night, organisers should consult the load-shedding schedule before determining dates and preferably also make back-up arrangements. If generators are a necessity, the financial impact should be taken into consideration.

The senior leadership also approved a list of buildings to be equipped with emergency power supplies.

More about load shedding at the UFS:
Getting out of the dark
More information, guidelines and contact information

 

 

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