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New alliance aims to boost higher education research in Africa

30 May 2025 | Story Prof Mikateko Mathebula | Photo Supplied

Africa Month Alliance — Pictured (from left to right): Prof Faith Mkwananzi, Dr Kapambwe Mwelwa, Prof Lochner Marais, Prof Chikumbutso Manthalu, and Prof Mikateko Mathebula.

Through collaborative agreements with the University of Malawi and the University of Zambia, the University of the Free State (UFS) has established the Research Alliance for Higher Education in Africa (RAHEdA), a dynamic initiative aimed at enhancing research capacity and partnerships within Sub-Saharan Africa.

The initiative forms part of the UFS’s SARChI Chair in Higher Education and Human Development (HEHD) research programme.

The collaborative agreements align with the UFS’s Vision 130 strategy in relation to internationalisation, emphasising the important role that intra-African mobility visits play in establishing relationships with universities on the continent. It also fosters knowledge exchange and engagement and allows for careful planning and strategy meetings.

In 2024, the HEHD hosted Dr Kapambwe Mwelwa, a lecturer in the University of Zambia’s Department of Educational Administration and Policy Studies, and Prof Chikumbutso Manthalu, Head of Higher Education and Professional Development in the University of Malawi’s School of Education, for such a visit. Their engagements included research seminars, a PhD presentation day, and collaborative strategy sessions with UFS academics, including Prof Faith Mkwananzi and Prof Mikateko Mathebula from the UFS’s Centre for Development Support (CDS), who are co-founders of RAHEdA.

“During these discussions, an ambitious but feasible roadmap was laid out for the next three to five years,” Prof Mkwananzi said. “These activities include online workshops for staff and postgraduate students at all partner institutions, and a new webinar series that focuses on profiling, advancing, and celebrating thought leaders, higher education scholars, and scholarship in Africa.”

The inaugural webinar was held on 21 May 2025. Speaker Prof Siseko Kumalo, Associate Professor at the University of Johannesburg’s Ali Mazrui Centre for Higher Education Studies, spoke on ‘Orality as the Bulwark of the Humanities?’, set the bar high for the webinar series through his compelling and original response to this timely question, as scholars around the world contemplate appropriate responses to the rise and influence of artificial intelligence in higher education teaching, learning, and assessment.

Funding to support RAHEdA has been generously provided by Prof Melanie Walker, Distinguished Professor and SARChI Chair in Higher Education and Human Development.

• For information on how to get involved and for updates on RAHEdA, please contact Prof Mikateko Mathebula at MathebulaM@ufs.ac.za

News Archive

Verklaring - Afsterwe van student

2005-03-07

Afsterwe van eerstejaarstudent - Verklaring deur Die Rektor en Visekanselier van die UV, Prof Frederick Fourie

Die bestuur van die UV is diep ontsteld oor die tragiese dood van een van ons studente, Hannes van Rensburg, die afgelope naweek. Ons het reeds met die ouers geskakel en ons innige simpatie aan hulle oorgedra.

“Ek is ook erg bekommerd oor die aard van die bewerings oor drankgebruik en -misbruik, en neem elkeen van die bewerings ernstig op.” Die UV-bestuur is, net soos besture by ander universiteite, uiters bekommerd oor die drinkkultuur onder studente, veral ook die element daarvan wat met gewaande manlikheid te doen het. Ook ander elemente van koshuiskultuur en –gesagsverhoudinge hou dalk hiermee verband.

“Ek is ook ten sterkste gekant teen praktyke wat studente dwing tot sekere gedrag soos byvoorbeeld gedwonge drankgebruik”.

Iets soos ‘n “pa-seun” aand is ‘n verskynsel wat by verskeie universiteite voorkom. By die UV is dit geensins deel van die oriënteringsfase van eerstejaars nie. Dit vind juis etlike weke na die ontheffing van die eerstejaars plaas. Dit is ‘n normale funksie waarin seniors en eerstejaars saam sosiaal verkeer in die seniorbonde van koshuise.

Die UV-bestuur het streng beheermaatreëls in plek om drankgebruik te reguleer en dit binne perke te hou. Baie word gedoen om die verantwoordelike gebruik van alkohol aan te moedig. Dit is egter nie altyd moontlik om die individuele gedrag van studente te reguleer nie.

Ek kondig dus die volgende stappe aan, wat onmiddellik van krag is:

Die reg van alle seniorbonde op die UV kampus om alkoholiese drank te bedien word onmiddellik teruggetrek, tot verdere kennisgewing.
‘n Indringende ondersoek onder leiding van dr Ezekiel Moraka, Viserektor: Studentesake, na die omstandighede rondom hierdie tragiese gebeurtenis is reeds geloods.
‘n Breër ondersoek na die drinkkultuur en verwante elemente van koshuistradisies sal deel van hierdie ondersoek wees.

Dissiplinêre stappe sal geneem word teen persone wat skuldig bevind word aan wangedrag met betrekking tot hierdie tragiese voorval.

Uitgereik deur: Lacea Loader
Mediaverteenwoordiger
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Sel: 083 645 2454
E-pos: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
7 Maart 2005

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