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Hard work pays off: Two Education Faculty graduates celebrate PhD success

17 April 2025 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Kaleidoscope Studios

Dr Bheki Sandhleni and Dr Gale Davids — Dr Bheki Sandhleni; Deputy Principal at Khumbula High School and Dr Gale Davids; Lecturer in the School of Education Studies at the University of the Free State (UFS) were two of 19 PhD graduates from the Faculty of Education during the UFS’s April 2025 graduations.

The Faculty of Education at the University of the Free State (UFS) wrapped up the UFS’s April 2025 graduation season with ceremonies held on 12 April 2025, and cheers were especially loud for two graduates who were among 19 PhD recipients.

Marking the culmination of years of dedicated research, Dr Gale Davids, Lecturer in the Faculty’s School of Education Studies, and Dr Bheki Sandhleni, Deputy Principal at Khumbula High School, were proud to be among the distinguished cohort.

Their respective specialisations – Dr Davids in policy studies for restorative justice and Dr Sandhleni in education management for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) improvement – underscore a shared dedication to impactful scholarship that promises to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of education in South Africa.

Both graduates received a Doctor of Philosophy degree – Dr Davids’s with specialisation in policy studies in education, and Dr Sandhleni’s in education management and leadership.

Dr Sandhleni said that walking across the graduation stage symbolised the “crossing of a finish line”, while Dr Davids described the moment as “a powerful one which brought a deep sense of accomplishment”.

“This moment is the peak of years of hard work, late nights, challenging projects, and personal growth, and to have this research journey recognised in such a tangible way feels truly rewarding,” Dr Davids says.

The conferred qualifications

Dr Sandhleni’s PhD focused on ‘Principals’ leadership practices for improving teaching and learning in Mathematics, Science, and Technology (MST) schools in the Mpumalanga Province’. He regards his study as a “contribution to the scholarship on instructional leadership focusing on the roles, leadership approaches, and policy guidelines used by MST school principals to enhance teaching and learning”.

Dr Davids’s PhD studied ‘The implementation of a restorative approach to learner discipline, underpinned by transformative constitutional principles to foster non-violent schools’. Her research looked closely at how restorative justice practices can replace traditional, punitive disciplinary systems in schools.

Reflecting on their academic journeys

The new PhD graduates say getting to this point has been a challenging experience. Dr Sandhleni says everything from deciding on a research topic to wrapping up the project was difficult. As such, he regards achieving this milestone as a symbol of his dedication and perseverance.

Dr Davids agrees, saying that the process was demanding. Mastering legal concepts and translating theory into practice were just some of the challenges she encountered as she worked on her study. However, she describes the pursuit of her PhD as a “transformative experience” and adds, “Completing this academic milestone is deeply gratifying, but I am equally committed to ensuring that my research moves beyond theory to become a catalyst for real change in school disciplinary practices.”

Exploring a new chapter

The new graduates also share the sentiment that completion of their degree allows an opportunity to close one chapter and explore new ones.

“I am really happy for this achievement, and I hope that it brings me to the beginning of a new chapter in my life, whether it’s a career in academia, research, or higher positions in the same field where I am now,” Dr Sandhleni said. In addition to plans for publishing books and journal articles, he also hopes to “embark on a project where I train principals and other science, maths and technology members on how to be instructional leaders and to improve academic performance”.

Dr Davids hopes to formulate collaborations with schools which are open to taking on the restorative justice approaches outlined in her study. She says collaborating with teachers and learners will provide her with the opportunity to look at “real-world implementation challenges and successes, building on the theoretical foundations of my PhD”.

News Archive

Another boost for sport at the UFS

2005-10-13

A contract formalizing the appointment of Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd was signed by Prof Verschoor and Mr Morne du Plessis in the historic Main Building of the UFS Bloemfontein campus.

The University of the Free State (UFS) has officially appointed Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd, which has former Springbok rugby captain Morné du Plessis as managing director, to manage its Centre for Exercise and Sport Science Services (CESSS) on the Bloemfontein campus.

According to Prof Teuns Verschoor, Vice-Rector: Academic Operations, the appointment of Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd is another step in the implementation of the UFS’s wide-ranging sport strategy to improve sport facilities and elevate formerly marginalized sports such as soccer, hockey, netball, tennis etc.

Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd is the manager of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa and coordinates and manages the national basketball high-performance programme of SA Basketball, as well as the Boxing Academy on behalf of Boxing South Africa.

“It is also actively involved with the sports plans of several tertiary institutions like that of the University of Johannesburg and the University of Stellenbosch,” said Prof Verschoor.

“Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd was also appointed by the Ministry of Sport and Recreation to manage the allocation of sports codes to high-performance centres and to oversee the allocation of monies received from the National Lottery to these centres – this includes the CESSS at the UFS,” Prof Verschoor added.

In unfolding its national sports plan, the Ministry of Sport and Recreation has already identified the UFS-based CESSS as the high-performance testing centre for the national basketball teams whilst the national boxing teams are also earmarked to be trained at the UFS.

“We are glad to be associated with a company of this stature and look forward to work with them in the further development of sports at the UFS,” said Prof Verschoor.

According to Prof Verschoor, the CESSS will act as a centralised body that is responsible for the coordination and management of joint initiatives between professional service providers, research projects and KovsieSport.

“The centre will also coordinate and manage joint initiatives between various academic programmes in different academic subject fields such as sports medicine, bio kinetics, physiotherapy, dietetics, etc. ,” said Prof Verschoor.

These initiatives will help the UFS to become a centre and catalyst of sports development, to become internationally recognised in the field of exercise and sports science research and to become a centre for high quality sports performance enhancement.

Some of the objectives of the CESSS are:

To provide sports science services like to athletes, students, the general public and other stakeholders including certain national sport teams.
To provide the necessary teaching and training facilities and internship opportunities for UFS students in sports related fields of study will also be provided by the centre like human movement science.
To present skills-transfer programmes directed at the broader community like development of skills in various sporting codes.
To continue and extend the current chronic risk reversal programmes presented by the Department of Human Movement Science such as obesity management, cardiac rehabilitation and other lifestyle related conditions.

The centre was founded in 2003 and was until now managed by Dr Louis Holtzhausen, from Kovsie Health and a consultant, Dr Gary Vorster.

A contract formalizing the appointment of Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd was signed today by Prof Verschoor and Mr Morne du Plessis in the historic Main Building of the UFS Bloemfontein campus.

The manager of the centre appointed by Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd is Mr Charles Store, an alumnus of the UFS, previously employed at the Sports Science Institute in Cape Town and by the SANDF at 3 Military Hospital, Bloemfontein.

Media release
Issued by: Anton Fisher
Director: Strategic Communication
072-207-8334
12 October 2005

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