There was a moment during the inaugural Thuto Talks masterclass when the audience sat in reflective silence. On screen, a murmuration of starlings moved in seamless synchrony – thousands of birds shifting direction together, forming patterns without a visible leader.
For Prof Champion Nyoni, it was more than just a striking visual. It was a vision for educators.
The Division of Health Sciences Education in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) has officially launched Thuto Talks, a new masterclass series dedicated to advancing scholarship, dialogue, and innovation in Health Professions Education (HPE). ‘Thuto’, the Sesotho word for education, reflects the belief that knowledge is essential for personal and communal development – emphasising understanding and wisdom as foundational to transformation and growth.
The inaugural masterclass featured internationally respected scholar Prof Champion Nyoni – a health professions education expert with deep roots at the UFS. He delivered a compelling session on the transformation of health professions education in Africa, titled Where Educators Belong: Building Capacity, Community, and Credibility in HPE. Prof Nyoni, who serves at the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, leads the Health Workforce Education and Training portfolio. He also holds an appointment as Affiliate Associate Professor within the Division of Health Sciences Education at the UFS. His work spans multiple sub-Saharan African countries and focuses on strengthening educational systems to produce competent, community-oriented health professionals.
Drawing on his journey from clinician to educator, Prof Nyoni spoke candidly about the often-unspoken realities of academia and the ubiquitous ‘invisibility of educators’. Many health professionals enter teaching with passion but without formal preparation for the educational role. “We assume that because someone can practise a profession, they can teach,” he reflected – challenging institutions to rethink how educators are developed, recognised, and supported. Similarly, educators are often regarded as a ‘luxury’: a secondary activity beyond clinical or research roles. In the face of health-care workforce shortages, academic infrastructure and educator roles are not planned for, funded, or developed.
At the heart of his message was a compelling call: meaningful reform in health professions education cannot happen at the margins. Educators must be placed at the centre of transformation. Curriculum redesign, competency-based frameworks, and policy reform will only succeed if those who teach are valued and strategically positioned within institutions.
The discussion that followed was energised and reflective – fitting for the launch of a platform designed to spark critical engagement and scholarly growth.
The introduction of Thuto Talks signals more than just a seminar series. It represents a shared commitment to intentional alignment – bringing together educators, scholarship, and practice to pursue a stronger, more responsive health workforce. The values reflected in the coordinated movement of a murmuration of starlings – coherence, responsiveness, shared intelligence, leadership shifts, directional adaptation – could frame our language as we move forward towards balancing present needs with future well-being.
- To join the Thuto talks or for more information, contact the Division of Health Sciences Education at DHSE@ufs.ac.za.