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12 August 2020 | Story Thabo Kessah | Photo Supplied
Dr Maria Tsakeni’s position affords her the opportunity to forge a better future for the next generation as far as education and schooling are concerned.
Dr Maria Tsakeni is passionate about innovation and science in education. This is as a result of her poor upbringing, where she learnt to work with very few resources, as well as realities faced by her maternal grandmother. Her current position affords her the opportunity to forge a better future for the next generation as far as education and schooling are concerned. She believes the most important qualities are the ability to solve problems, keep motivated, work hard work, and tenacity. Her recent achievements include awards in Research in Learning and Teaching and Innovation in Learning and Teaching. 

Please tell us about yourself: Who you are and what you do? 

I am a senior lecturer and Science teacher/ educator in the School of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology Education on the Qwaqwa Campus. I started my career as a Chemistry teacher (Cuban trained), studied further for an MEd in Chemistry at the University of Zimbabwe, and later obtained my PhD in Science Education at the University of Pretoria in 2015. I joined the UFS as a postdoctoral fellow in 2015 and began my journey as a researcher. I have an NRF-funded project (Thuthuka NRF-rating track) and am therefore working towards NRF rating and/or an associate professorship. 

My research focus is on curriculum innovations and innovative instructional strategies in science education through preservice science teacher preparation and school classroom practices. Innovations include inquiry-based learning (IBL), education for sustainable development (ESD), STEM education, and virtual learning environments (VLE), with a special focus on implementation in multiple-deprived classrooms. I am also interested in researching school improvement through Science and Mathematics education during my time as a postdoctoral fellow, and I continue to be a collaborator to the unit that hosted me, which is the SANRAL Chair in the Faculty of Education at the UFS. 

Is there a woman who inspires you and who you would like to celebrate this Women’s Month, and why?

I am inspired by a sad story that my late maternal grandmother told me, which happened to her as a young girl in the late 1940s. She was forced out of school where she was doing very well, because she was told it was time to honour a marriage that had been arranged for her. It broke her heart at the time, and I also feel the pain that she felt. It makes me realise how privileged I am to have an opportunity to pursue my dreams and make a difference beyond my family obligations as a woman. Therefore, for every small achievement in my career, I say ‘this is for you grandma’. This Women’s Month, I celebrate my grandmother and many other women like her who sacrificed their dreams of pursuing different kinds of careers in order to serve others.  

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in your life that have made you a better woman?

I grew up and went to school in a very poor township, so I learned quite early to work with very few resources, or no resources at all. I realised that the most important resource is the ability to solve problems, keep motivated, hard work, and tenacity.  

What advice would you give to the 15-year-old you?

I would tell the 15-year-old me not to doubt herself and be less of an introvert, because there are many people out there who believe in her and think that she has potential.

What would you say makes you a champion woman [of the UFS]?

I think that being a champion is not about being better than other people, but about doing and being your best in every situation. It is about being prepared to go the extra mile, being a good colleague, and about developing a unique and special set of skills such as non-routine problem solving and people skills. These skills are handy when you have to perform unfamiliar and challenging tasks.

News Archive

Launch of the Africa office of the IIDE
2006-05-25

Attending the launch of the Africa office of the IIDE were from the left Prof Sytse Strijbos (Chairperson of IIDE Europe), Rev Kiepie Jaftha (Chairperson of the IIDE in Africa’s Board of Directors and Chief Director: Community Service at the UFS) and Prof Frederick Fourie (Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS).

 

Attending the launch were from the left Prof Lucius Botes (Director: Centre of Development Support at the UFS), Dr Samuel Kareithi (Head: Community Development at the Cornerstone Christian College, Cape Town), Rev Kiepie Jaftha (Chairperson of the IIDE in Africa’s Board of Directors and Chief Director: Community Service at the UFS), Prof Sytse Strijbos (Chairperson of IIDE Europe) and Dr Ezekiel Moraka (Vice-Rector:  Student Affairs at the UFS).

Africa office of IIDE launched on UFS main campus 

The Africa office of the International Institute for Development and Ethics (IIDE) was today (26 May 2006) launched on the Main Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein.

“The IIDE specialises in the studying and research of general questions of developmental theory and practices and provides services and support in education, strategic planning, policy formulation, advocacy and capacity building of development agencies,” said Rev Kiepie Jaftha, Chairperson of the IIDE in Africa’s Board of Directors and Chief Director: Community Service at the UFS.

According to Rev Jaftha the IIDE in Africa will focus on the conceptual and normative aspects of developmental processes in Sub-Saharan Africa.  “We want to foster local and international partnerships with various relevant role-players in civil society, the private sector and public sector in the SACD region and later expand our operations to the rest of Africa,” said Rev Jaftha.

The IIDE in Africa cooperates with a similar foundation in Europe, functioning as the IIDE Europe.  This institute was founded in 2003 and its head office is situated in the Netherlands.  The UFS is a funder of the IIDE in Africa together with the Paul Foundation and private sponsors from the Netherlands.

“We have already started with various projects which are in various stages of implementation,” said Rev Jaftha.  Some of these projects include, among others, the broadening of the master’s degree in Christian Studies of Science and Society (MACSSS) which is currently housed at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam to tertiary institutions in South Africa such as the UFS, the University of Stellenbosch and the Potchefstroom Campus of the Northwest University.

“Another project is an investigation into the possibility of initiating a broad development initiative in the poverty stricken Qwaqwa area.  This initiative will attempt to concentrate on issues like the training and empowerment of prospective entrepreneurs in the region, the identification of prospective entrepreneurs for the rendering of development support and the monitoring of the impact of information and communication technology on local communities during the implementation of sustainable development initiatives,” said Rev Jaftha.

“The establishment of the Africa office of the IIDE on the UFS Main Campus is an indication of one of the aims of the UFS to play a role in South Africa and Africa.  It also signifies our aim to contribute meaningfully to research and development and to establish links between the academe and practice,” said Rev Jaftha. 

 

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:   (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
26 May 2006

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