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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

Kovsie TV Launched
2015-05-06

Victor Ngubeni, Grace Thoabala, Nangamso Dlatu, Aisha Poswa, Lesego Maakamedi, Nothando Hlope, Aldene vd Merwe and Lawrence Siyoko

“We have to change our university before we can change our country.”

 

There is a revolution at hand, and students are requesting new and exciting platforms on which they can voice themselves. Kovsie TV aims to do just that for Kovsie students. 

 

As a student initiative, the steam behind it is SRC Student Development and Environmental Affairs, Victor Ngubeni. He says that it is only right that it be by the students themselves. The launch saw many from the campus community gathered out of curiosity and excitement for the new venture. The evening started out as quite a classy frenzy, which had attendees clearly prepared for the level of broadcasting that the launch would showcase.

 

The initial idea is to increase the number of platforms where students can receive information. The Student Media portfolio, which oversees the functioning of student media platforms, aims to make Kovsie TV as autonomous as possible. As an introductory initiative, it will aid in the sharing and telling of students’ stories.

 

It is important to mention the preparation process that was endured by the many hopefuls who auditioned, hoping to make it as one of the Kovsie TV presenters. For more than three weeks, the panel of judges sieved through the contestants until they had just six rough diamonds. Then, for the first time, the audience met the faces that they would become familiar with from this point.

 

As Ngubeni stressed during his speech, Kovsie TV would not serve as propaganda machine for the SRC, as many might have asked about the relationship that could be expected between the two. The architects of Kovsie TV hope that, as a student initiative, it will inspire a new era in student activism.

 

When asked about the concept behind this new platform, Ngubeni informed us that, “the concept is to have a twenty-minute campus TV show highlighting what goes on around campus so that students know, and so that we can get them participating in campus life activities.”

 

This is a student initiative whose future will depend solely on the students themselves.

 

Presenters:

Nangamso Dlathu – Studio presenter

Grace Thoabala – Studio presenter

Lesego Maakamedi – Social events

Nothando Hlophe – Current affairs

Aldine van der Merwe – Culture events and Vox-Pop

Mbulelo Siyoko – Culture and Vox-Pop

Aisha Phoswa ? Sports

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