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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

Publication on indigenous knowledge systems

2005-10-21

Dr Otsile Ntsoane (acting Director: IKS, Department of Science and Technology) and Prof Philip Nel (Director: Africa Studies at the UFS and guest editor of the publication) at the launch of the publication

UFS launches most comprehensive publication on indigenous knowledge systems
A unique collection of essays on Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) was launched yesterday (20 October 2005) by the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Programme of Africa Studies.

The essays are published as a special edition of INDILINGA, the African Journal for Indigenous Knowledge Systems and is an outcome of the colloquium on Indigenous Knowledge Systems that was presented last year by the UFS Director of Africa Studies in cooperation with the National Research Council.

“The amount and diversity of materials on IKS brought together under one cover is unique as there are no other South African publications of this magnitude on this issue. It contains papers of international experts on IKS such as Prof Fritz Wallner from Austria and Prof Gayatri Spivak, foremost postcolonial theorist from India,” said Prof Philip Nel, Director of Africa Studies and guest editor of the publication.

“The publication is a rich source field for students and scholars to exploit because most of the sources quoted in the articles are recent, fresh and relevant. The contributors are largely people responsible for managing, fostering and studying IKS in a responsible manner,” said Prof Nel.

“An added value of the publication is the inclusion of the policy document on IKS that was adopted by Cabinet in November 2004,” said Prof Nel.

“Millions of people in South Africa are faced with the painful choice of abandoning their heritage. In this choice, the study and management of IKS has a major role to play; on the one hand, to encourage as much assimilation of traditional knowledge as possible into the modern systems, and on the other hand to provide a “language” and a “grammar” for indigenous people through which they can access modernity,” said Prof Nel.

The IKS debate involves questions of African identity, protection of indigenous communities and practices, political aspects as well as the scientific integrity of the enterprise.

The publication displays the range of burning questions that have to be resolved in this field such as mainstreaming IKS in academic debate and practice, recognition and protection of the knowledge holders, bio-prospecting and bio-piracy, bio and ethnic healing, lack of textbooks and field manuals, etc and will prove worthwhile for future researchers.

“One of the main reasons for publishing this volume is the fact that IKS should be studied not only to provide a sense of pride in the past, or to engender respect for indigenous peoples, but also to enable people in indigenous mind sets to make a better transition into the world of science and technology,” said Prof Nel.

The guest speaker at the launch was Dr Otsile Ntsoane, acting Director of IKS at the Department of Science and Technology. In his speech Dr Ntsoane stressed the symbolic and concrete value of the publication. “The publication can have a great social impact and the research results can contribute to chancing the economic landscape of South Africa,” he said.

The publication can be purchased at R150 per copy. For more information, Ms Steffi Cawood, Programme Coordinator for Africa Studies at the UFS can be contacted at (051) 401-2614.

Media release
Issued by:Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
21 October 2005

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