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29 May 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Pexels
Prof Melanie Walker
Fostering human capabilities in universities may potentially transform education, says Prof Melanie Walker.
Education is at the centre of human life, and has the potential to be a crucial support for democratic life. Prof Melanie Walker’s recent research paper strikes a balance in dealing with people, education and the implications for democracy through the lens of human capabilities theory and practice and her own research.

People and papers

In her capacity as the SARChI Chair in the Higher Education and Human Development Research Programme at the University of the Free State (UFS), Prof Walker recently published a paper titled: Defending the Need for a Foundational Epistemic Capability in Education. It appeared in the special issue of the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities in honour of renowned Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen’s 85th birthday.

Nurturing epistemic justice

Within the context of existing literature such as that of Sen’s concern with the value of education on the one hand, and public reasoning on the other, Prof Walker argues for a foundational epistemic capability to shape the formal education landscape – as well as quality in education – by fostering inclusive public reasoning (including critical thinking) in all students. It would contribute to what Sen calls the ‘protective power of democracy’ and shared democratic rights, which, he argues, are strongly missed when most needed.

“Sen’s approach asks us to build democratic practices in our university and in our society in ways which create capabilities for everyone. If our students learn public reasoning in all sorts of spaces in university, including the pedagogical, they may carry this into and back to society,” she said.

Educating for equality

Empowering society and fighting for justice are some of the crucial contributions made possible through fostering the epistemic capability of all students. “The capability requires that each student is recognised as both a knower and teller, a receiver and a contributor in critical meaning and knowledge, and an epistemic agent in processes of learning and critical thinking,” states Prof Walker.

In a young democracy like South Africa’s, inclusive public reasoning becomes all the more essential in order to achieve equality, uphold rights and sustain democracy as enshrined in the constitution, thereby improving people’s lives. 

News Archive

A call for next generation of professors: Apply for the Vice-Chancellor’s Prestige Scholars’ Programme
2014-12-19

 

Examples of the rector's prestige scholars' international footprint: Dr Olihile Sebolai, Fulbright scholar (left) returned to the UFS after six months at the University of Birmingham and three at the University of Missouri. Dr Cilliers van den Berg (right) visited Cornell University on a ten-month sabbatical.

The Vice-Chancellor’s Prestige Scholars’ Programme (PSP) seeks to identify, develop and promote the next cohort of the most promising and talented UFS academic members of staff who obtained a doctoral degree within the last five years or will graduate by June 2015.

Scholars identified benefit from an intensive programme of academic and professional support that includes an advanced residential programme, exposure to leading scholars, concentrated reading and writing programmes, high-level seminar participation and presentation, nuanced publication schedules and personal mentoring and advice, including participation in the annual PSP mock NRF rating and the development of a postdoctoral intellectual project for funding submission (Thuthuka, and similar).

Past prestige scholars have become Fulbright scholars, received funding from among others the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Erasmus Mundus, NRF Blue Skies, Thuthuka, etc. They have spent time at universities in Canada, the USA, United Kingdom, Europe and Japan.

This year the selection process will be anticipated by pre-selection. Final selection to the programme will take place in September 2015. The selection is highly competitive, and aimed at those young scholars with the potential to obtain upper-level NRF ratings (Y1 and P).

Criteria for selection:

Recently obtained a PhD degree. 
Evidence of an active publication record. 
Early recognition of scholarly work, e.g. successful funding/grant applications and academic awards. 
The early development of a post-doctoral intellectual project that shows evidence of scholarly “potential” (defined by the NRF Y-category). 
Indication of the young scholar’s understanding of what their envisaged postdoctoral endeavours will contribute to the body of disciplinary knowledge. 
Full participation in the pre-selection residential programme and activities is a requirement for selection.

Call for interest: 2015 (PDF)

Requests for further information can be directed to Prof Jackie du Toit at dutoitjs@ufs.ac.za.

Applications close on 16 February 2015.

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