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EMS honours student Alexander Solomons awarded 2024/2025 Ernst Mach Grant

22 August 2024 | Story Mbali Moiketsi

Alexander Solomons, an honours student in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS), has been awarded the prestigious Ernst Mach Grant for the 2024/2025 academic year. This competitive grant will enable Solomons to participate in an exchange programme at FH Salzburg University, one of Europe’s leading institutions for higher education and research, in Salzburg, Austria.

The Ernst Mach Grant, named after the renowned physicist and philosopher Ernst Mach, is funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research. It aims to foster international academic exchange and support students who demonstrate exceptional academic merit and a strong commitment to their field of study.

“Spending time abroad did not seem like something that I would be able to do so early in my life,” Solomons said. “Coming from Scottsville, Kraaifontein, in the Western Cape, I never thought that I would be able to take part in opportunities such as this one.”

“Alexander’s selection as an Ernst Mach Grant recipient is a testament to his hard work, dedication, and the high standards of academic programmes at the UFS,” said Lynette Jacobs, Acting Director in the Office for International Affairs at the UFS.

During his time at FH Salzburg University, Solomons will have the opportunity to immerse himself in a vibrant academic environment, engage with leading scholars in his field, and access cutting-edge resources and facilities. “I will have the opportunity to deepen my knowledge and engage in a different form of high-impact learning,” he said. “Professionally, international experience can be valuable in the advancement of my career. Being exposed to global practices as well as networking has the potential to enhance my career prospects and potentially open doors for me in the country I originate from and internationally.”

Jacobs added that this programme will not only enhance Solomons’ academic and professional development but also strengthen the international ties between the UFS and FH Salzburg University.

"I am thrilled to witness the incredible opportunities scholarship programmes offer to our students,” she said. “Scholarships like the Ernst Mach Grant not only provide financial support but also open doors to unparalleled academic and cultural experiences. I strongly encourage all UFS students to explore these opportunities and apply for scholarships. Studying abroad can be a life-changing experience, offering new perspectives, fostering personal growth, and building a global network.”

In addition to his academic pursuits, Solomons will serve as an ambassador for the UFS, sharing his experiences and insights with his peers and faculty members at FH Salzburg University. He intends to integrate the knowledge gained into research and projects he takes on in the future. He believes the exposure to diverse opinions can help him approach problems from a more global perspective, and help him think in a more adaptable and inclusive manner.

“His participation in this exchange programme will contribute to the ongoing efforts to promote international collaboration and cultural exchange within our academic community,” Jacobs said.

Students and staff interested in applying for scholarships are welcome to contact Mbali Moiketsi, Study Abroad Officer in the Office for International Affairs on the top floor of the Theology Building. Information about scholarships is shared regularly through channels such as newsletters, social media, and the UFS website.

News Archive

‘Is the South African university curriculum ‘colonial'?’ asks Prof Jansen

2017-11-24

Description: Jansen readmore Tags: Prof Jonathan Jansen, colonial, university curriculum, western knowledge

From left; Prof Corli Witthuhn, Vice-Rector: Research; former Rector and Vice-
Chancellor of the UFS, Prof Jonathan Jansen; Prof Michael Levitt, and
Prof Francis Petersen at the celebration lecture at the UFS.
Photo: Johan Roux

One of the critical issues that emerged from the South African student protests during 2015 and 2016 was a demand for the decolonisation of university curriculums.

A senior professor at the Stellenbosch University, Prof Jonathan Jansen, said the number of people, including academics, who joined the cause without adequately interrogating the language of this protest, was astonishing. “The role of social scientists is to investigate new ideas … when something is presented to the world as truth.” Prof Jansen was speaking during a celebration lecture at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein on 15 November 2017.

Large amount of knowledge not African
He said the accusation is correct to a limited degree. “The objection, in essence, is against the centring of Western, and especially European knowledge, in institutional curricula.” There is no doubt that most of what constitutes curriculum knowledge in South African universities, and in universities around the world, derive from the West. “The major theories and theorists, the methodologists and methods are disproportionally situated outside of the developing world,” Prof Jansen said.

The dilemma is, how will South Africa and the continent change the locus of knowledge production, considering the deteriorating state of public universities? “In the absence of vibrant, original, and creative knowledge production systems in Africa and South Africa, where will this African-centred or African-led curriculum theory come from,” Jansen asked. He says the re-centring of a curriculum needs scholars with significant post-doctoral experiences that are rooted in the study of education and endowed with the critical independence of thought. “South Africa's universities are not places where scholars can think. South African universities’ current primary occupation is security and police dogs,” Prof Jansen said.

Collaboration between African and Western scholars
“Despite the challenges, not everything was stuck in the past,” Prof Jansen said. South African scholars now lead major research programmes in the country intellectually. The common thread between these projects is that the content is African in the subjects of study, and the work reflects collaboration with academics in the rest of the world. These research projects attract postgraduate students from the West, and the research increasingly affects curriculum transformations across university departments. There is also an ongoing shift in the locus of authority for knowledge production within leading universities in South Africa. Prof Jansen feels a significant problem that is being ignored in the curriculum debate, is the concern about the knowledge of the future. How does South Africa prepare its young for the opportunities provided by the groundswell of technological innovation? “In other parts of the world, school children are learning coding, artificial intelligence, and automation on a large scale. They are introduced to neuroscience and applied mathematics,” he said.

Prof Jansen said, in contrast, in South Africa the debate focuses on the merits of mathematics literacy, and what to do with dead people’s statues.

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