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“A mind that is learning is a free mind and freedom demands the responsibility of learning” – J. Krishnamurti. What is the essence of education in our modern society amid the emerging, unprecedented, present-day circumstances? On 27 November 2020, third-year students from the University of the Free State (UFS) not only sought to inspire the youth in Kestell and bring them messages of hope, but also actively engaged them on how to be equipped with the necessary skills that would help them surf through the rapidly advancing world economics and the changing labour-market demands.
The collaboration with other expert stakeholders created a platform for significant conversation about alternative skills training that is designed to successfully address the current economic needs, thus enabling education to thrive and serve the intended purpose, which would ultimately manifest in effective transformation within communities. The UFS Qwaqwa Campus Community Engagement office coordinated the teamwork, comprising the Free State Department of Social Development, Maluti TVET College, the Free State School of Nursing, AGAPE Foundation for Community Development, Japie Lepele Foundation, the Riverside Finishing School, and Advance Academy.
TVET education allows students to progress in fields that suit them best and at the same time acquire skills needed for the future world of work. Information Technology (IT) students and staff members shared encouraging testimonies of their education experience and employment. The academy presented their finishing school programme to encourage learners to complete their secondary education even after they have suffered some interruptions. Although there are currently many challenges facing education in our semi-rural areas – such as Kestell – that result in lack of access to education and insufficient resources, civil partnerships like these are supporting and enabling communities in their quest to find their own solutions.
Young researchers are equipped to participate in projects relevant in global context
2017-09-05
This group of early career researchers received bioinformatics
training in Worcester in the UK from Dr Diane Saunders of the
John Innes Centre in the UK.
Photo: Supplied
The interdisciplinary field that develops methods and software tools to understand biological data is known as bioinformatics. According to Dr Renée Prins, a research fellow in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of the Free State, there are few tertiary institutions in South Africa that offer a postgraduate degree in Bioinformatics.
“Most institutions focus either on humans, human diseases, forest trees and their pathogens. They usually do not have spare capacity to assist researchers, for instance, those working on crops in the agricultural sector,” Dr Prins said.
Big data sets need significant skills
With the advancements made in genomics such as high throughput DNA marker platforms and next-generation sequencing technologies, the data sets biologists have to deal with have grown massively big and cannot be dealt with unless you have significant computer skills.
Dr Prins believes that all young researchers need some level of training in this field to be effective in future. The British Council Researcher Links, being run by the Newton Fund, gives early career researchers across selected partner countries the opportunity to form international connections through fully funded workshops and travel grants. Dr Prins made use of this opportunity and with the assistance of the Department of Research Development at the UFS, she arranged for Dr Diane Saunders of the John Innes Centre in the UK, a bioinformatician of note, to present training to a group of 20 early career researchers in Worcester in the UK.
Providing training with Dr Saunders were two other bioinformaticians from the UK, Dr Burkhard Steuernagel (John Innes Centre) and Dr Robert Davey (Earlham Institute). From the UFS side, Eleanor van der Westhuizen and Dr Henriëtte van den Berg (former UFS academic) acted as mentors, providing guidance on funding opportunities and career development skills.
Participating in projects in a global context
The researchers attending the training came from research institutions or academia, and they work involving plants (predominantly wheat) or plant pathogens. A limited number of participants from the commercial sector, including private South African companies focusing on plant breeding and molecular genetics lab work on agriculturally important crops also benefited from the training.
“Tertiary institutions in South Africa have the obligation to ensure that young scientists are equipped with bioinformatics skills. If they are not equipped with the necessary skills, they will not be able to participate in research projects that are relevant in a global context,” said Dr Prins.