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06 August 2021 | Story Dr Cindé Greyling | Photo André Damons
Nombulelo Shange - Making a positive impact with writing

Nombulelo Shange is a lecturer in Sociology in the University of the Free State (UFS) Department of Sociology and one of our top opinion article writers – regularly quoted by the media. She is also currently a PhD candidate in Anthropology, studying a Cape Town community called the ‘mountain doctors’. 

What is the best thing about your job?

I love my students and have missed them so much during this precarious time. 

What is the best and worst decision you have ever made?

Although I loved teaching English in South Korea, I was young and became extremely homesick, so I ended up coming back prematurely – leaving me unemployed for three years. Later, I was accepted by the University of St Andrews in Scotland for my PhD, but in the end, I sadly had to turn that opportunity down because of finances. I regret not pushing harder in both cases. But the thing with mistakes and bad decisions is that they come together to shape your current experiences. I might not be where I am today had I not made those mistakes. The best decision I ever made was leaving the NGO space and returning to academia in 2018; academia is my calling. I love teaching, writing, and theorising.

What does the word woman mean to you?

I think to be a woman means many different things. But at its core, it should mean inclusion and individual and collective acceptance and expression of our differences. 

Which woman inspires you, and why?

There are so many, and they all inspire me in different ways. My mothers, Prof Pearl Sithole, Prof Puleng LenkaBula, Beyonce, Patricia Hill Collins, Sisonke Msimang, Makoma Lekalakala, Nonhle Mbuthuma, and Tarana Burke. My friends, my little niece, and all the black women, living and gone – who gave up their lives so that, one day, a girl like me can enjoy certain liberties. 

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

Make mistakes, it’s okay, it won’t be the end of the world. You will learn from them, but just focus on being a kid. Stop hiding in the library behind books; you learn more from life by exploring and living it, not only reading about it. Being an introvert is OK, but don’t let it make you fear people. Being an uncool becomes the new cool later, so you’ll be fine, you’ll be great!

What makes you a woman of quality, impact, and care?

My impact has been in my written work, both within academia and the mainstream media. I research, write, and theorise on a variety of topics, mainly decoloniality, indigenous knowledge, and feminism. I see my place as an emerging scholar and leader in this space not just at the UFS, but also nationally, and eventually internationally.

 

I cannot live without … a fully stocked kitchen; love cooking and baking … hate cleaning up afterwards.
My secret weapon is … kindness; I’ve had so many uncertain or tense situations go well, just because I treated people with kindness before even knowing they would be the ones I need/get help from.
I always have … my cellphone; it makes going through life so much easier, especially as a woman. It is more than just a phone, it is my panic button when I am feeling unsafe, my navigator when I am lost and scared, my bank – and most importantly – my way to connect with loved ones.
I will never … knowingly allow certain privileges I enjoy, being used against others who are more socially disenfranchised than I am.
I hope … to see my family and pet bunny Dash soon, I miss them very much.


News Archive

South Campus delivers out-of-the-box solutions
2017-11-07

 Description: ' AIO all in one device Tags: AIO all in one device

The AIO device as deployed in an IBP school.
Photo: Elrieka van Dalen

The IDEAS Lab on our South Campus supports learners in 83 schools by means of academic videos transmitted via the Internet Broadcast Project (IBP) and its own custom-built All-in-One (AIO) device. The project is a collaboration between UFS and the Department of Education in the Free State. It includes support for Mathematics, Physical Science, Life Science, Economics, Accounting, and Geography.

The AIO was purpose-built by the team at IDEAS Lab to facilitate the delivery of video lectures from highly-qualified teachers to identified schools. It comprises a projector, speakers, and a computer, which are housed in a custom-made, hard-wearing frame. The AIO is then set up at each school to which lessons are broadcast.

On-the-job training for educators

Educators have not been overlooked, either. UFS was the very first university to provide an Advanced Certificate in Teaching in a fully digital format, the ACT Online programme. It is designed for practicing teachers to upskill themselves in order to better address the needs in the classroom, not only advancing their career, but strengthening their knowledge, competencies, and subject specialisation as well. Ultimately, this leads to an improved quality of education, which has a profound impact on multitudes of students around South Africa.

CSIR joint initiative

Coupled with these projects is a new joint initiative termed ICT For Education. This project sees the CSIR collaborating with the national Department of Education, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, and the UFS. For this project, 24 primary and secondary schools in South Africa were identified to promote technological advancement in the education sector. Tablet computers have been allocated and already deployed at these schools, to learners as well as nearly 400 teachers.

South Campus is involved in the training of the teachers and learners in the use of the tablets in the classroom and other educational opportunities. In addition, training for 48 unemployed young people who will be providing first-line support began in March at a school in Thaba Nchu. The course on IT support is structured in such a way that anyone in the community can take it, starting out with topics such as My role in the community.

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