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Dr Bekithemba Dube recognised for his scholarly impact

09 June 2021 | Story NONSINDISO QWABE | Photo Supplied

Dr Dube_web read more — Dr Bekithemba Dube, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education on the Qwaqwa Campus, says researchers need to participate in the production of high-quality scholarship that will contribute to transformation.

Discipline, focus, and a willingness to learn all form part of the traits that avid researcher and Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education on the Qwaqwa Campus, Dr Bekithemba Dube, cites as his master tools for productivity. This, along with the desire to be part of the transformation of African research.

Dr Dube was recognised for his outstanding contribution to the research reputation of the university in a letter from Prof Corli Witthuhn, Vice-Rector: Research and Internationalisation. He was listed as the third largest contributor to research journals across all campuses, and first for the Qwaqwa Campus. In 2020, Dr Dube published 26 articles and was announced the Most Prolific Researcher in the Faculty of Education during the Centre for Teaching and Learning’s (CTL) Excellence in Learning and Teaching Awards. Dr Dube's research focuses on the interlink between education, religion, and politics in postcolonial Africa.

Prof Witthuhn’s letter states that his "contribution is above and beyond the call of duty and has been recognised by your peers. In the light of this, I would like to say congratulations and thank you for your exceptional hard work, effort, and dedication to support our research endeavour".

Dr Dube said the letter was an affirmation that hard work pays off. "When you work hard, regardless of space and time, eventually it speaks for itself. You cannot hide hard work."

Pushing the agenda of African scholarship

For Dr Dube, pushing the agenda of scholarship is the most important aspect of research. "We're in a phase of transformation where initially writing was secluded to certain people, but now young African people in the periphery and outskirts can begin to contribute meaningfully; we're breaking those barriers and showing that we can be a force to be reckoned with."

One of his passions is to groom young people in academia to become prolific researchers, and he believes that the sciences and the humanities all have something to offer, not as competition, but through collaboration towards the agenda of scholarship production.

"I'm a firm believer that we can all shine together. As young people and Africans, we need to be part of this transformation. We need to be seen participating in knowledge production, especially high-quality scholarship that can contribute to transformation and address the lived realities of African people."

With the advent of COVID-19, Dr Dube focused some of his research efforts on the effects of online learning on rural students. His most cited paper,'Rural Online Learning in the Context of COVID-19 in South Africa: Evoking Inclusive Education Approach', looked at the challenges faced by rural learning in South Africa during the unprecedented time of the pandemic. "If we are to make history, we need to work now, because tomorrow is not guaranteed, but our work can continue to speak for us even after we are gone. There's nothing as sweet as knowing you've changed the narrative," he said.

News Archive

Ford foundation funds higher education redesign

2005-06-23

The Ford Foundation has pledged a grant of almost R280 000 for redesigning higher education delivery at three campuses in the Free State.

According to Prof Magda Fourie, Vice-Rector: Academic Planning at the University of the Free State (UFS), the three campuses that will be affected by the strategic reconfiguration of higher education delivery are the Qwaqwa campus at Phuthaditjhaba and the Vista campus of the UFS in Bloemfontein and the Welkom campus of the Central University of Technology (CUT).

Prof Fourie says the three campuses were all affected by the restructuring of higher education, in line with the National Plan for Higher Education.

The Qwaqwa campus of the UFS that was part of the former University of the North was incorporated into the UFS in January 2003. Likewise the Bloemfontein campus of the former Vista University was incorporated into the UFS in January 2004.

The Welkom campus of the CUT was also part of the former Vista University and was incorporated into the CUT in January 2004.

“These incorporations pose a challenge in that we have to think creatively about the best ways of using these three campuses to service the higher education, training, skills development and human resource needs of the Free State,” Prof Fourie said.

“The grant from the Ford Foundation will primarily be used to draw up strategic funding proposals for the three campuses. The Qwaqwa campus of the UFS is a priority to us given the poverty and unemployment in a largely rural area of the Free State,” said Prof Fourie.

“A detailed consultation process will be undertaken in the Qwaqwa campus sub-region which will hopefully result in a comprehensive and a coherent suite of higher education activities being established on this campus,” said Prof Fourie.

“It is envisaged that the Qwaqwa campus will become a centre of excellence in the area of rural development. This vision is based on a focused integration of the core functions of a university – teaching, research, and community service – around the issue of rural development,” said Prof Fourie.

Prof Fourie said that various educational offerings including among others short courses, bridging and foundation programmes, and degrees could be offered, with a particular focus on providing courses of relevance to students from the local rural community and students from elsewhere with an interest in focusing on rural development studies.

She said the redesign of the three affected campuses is being managed as a project of the Free State Higher Education Consortium (FSHEC) consisting of all the higher education institutions operating in the Free State.

“The aim of the project is to establish how the Qwaqwa and Vista campuses of the UFS and the Welkom campus of the CUT can be used effectively to meet regional education and training needs, to serve the strategic priorities of the two higher education institutions and contribute to the sustainable development and poverty alleviation of the region,” she said.

The planning for the Vista campus of the UFS is still in an early stage. “We are looking at the possibility of developing this campus into a hub of education and training opportunities for Bloemfontein and Free State region. Further plans will be communicated later in the year,” said Prof Fourie.

Media release

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

23 June 2005

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