| Young alumnus wins competition for entrepreneurs | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=9473 | | Young alumnus wins competition for entrepreneurs | Daniel Bugan | <p></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;text-align:justify;">Former Diploma in Sustainable Development student in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Lindelwa Mahlalela, has the world at her feet. She was recently crowned the winner of the Motsepe Foundation's inaugural Golden Circle competition for the social exploits of her online business LeeConnect. She started the business from a public library in 2018.<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;text-align:justify;">Golden Circle is a platform for young, semi-established entrepreneurs who are searching for capital injections and looking to build national and international networks that will expand their impact and their capacity to do good. The competition received over 80 entries. The final three had to present their business case to judges Allan Raiz, Brain Dames, Brian Smith, Herman Singh and Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa. The winner was chosen based on strict criteria, including the ability of the business to address a social need and ensure financial sustainability.<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;text-align:justify;">Mahlalela said the competition gave her the opportunity to showcase the services that LeeConnect offer and the great social need that they are trying to alleviate. LeeConnect assists Grade 12 learners with university, college and bursary applications; career guidance; mentorship and extra classes to improve their marks.</p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;text-align:justify;">“Winning the competition has given me confidence that there's hope and opportunities to take the business to an even bigger scale and help more learners. This is a great milestone that has elevated our standards of service and has given us the financial support we need to move to greater heights."<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;text-align:justify;">As the winner, Mahlalela walked away with a cash prize of R80 000 and business mentorship and support from the Motsepe Foundation.</p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;text-align:justify;">Mahlalela, who was part of the second cohort of Diploma in Sustainable Development students in 2019 and graduated in 2021, said her studies have armed her with the necessary skills and information to not only be successful in this competition but also in her business.<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;text-align:justify;">“We used to do presentations which enabled me to enhance my skills and stand out from the crowd. Everything that we did was more practical than theoretical, and that's how it is in business, you have to implement. Design thinking has enabled me to come up with creative solutions to the challenges that we have faced as an online business, such as gaining the trust and understanding of your customers."<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;text-align:justify;">Her future plans for the business include scaling it to a level where they are able to not only inspire Grade 12 learners but also graduates who are seeking learning opportunities to acquire skills and experience. <br></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;text-align:justify;">She recently registered at the University of South Africa for a BA in International Relations “because I want to expand LeeConnect in other African countries". She is also a qualified information technology technician.</p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;text-align:justify;">But the Matie alumna's talents and passion hasn't just been confined to the entrepreneurial space. She also recently worked as an educator assistant at Salubindza Primary School in the Mpumalanga Province.</p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;text-align:justify;">“I am passionate about education and it is my goal to educate people worldwide to believe in themselves and to follow their dreams," she said. “This job gave me the opportunity to plan educational events for primary school children, to make learning fun and to enhance their skills and talents outside the classroom."<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;text-align:justify;">She thanked her mother, Thobile Hlatshwayo, for supporting her dreams and helping her become the woman she is today.<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;text-align:justify;">The three-year Diploma in Sustainable Development is offered by the School of Public Leadership to ground students in principles of sustainability and entrepreneurship for future social impact and ecological restoration. The programme provides students with theoretical knowledge and practical experience in areas such as sustainable technologies, complexity and ecology, social entrepreneurship, leadership development, social activation, small business management skills, creativity and storytelling.<br></p><div style="background-color:#ffffff;text-align:justify;"><ul style="color:#333333;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";font-size:14px;padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 10px 25px;"><li style="line-height:20px;">A one-year <strong class="ms-rteForeColor-1" style="text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:#8b0000;">Advanced Diploma in Sustainable Development</strong><span> will be offered from 2023. For more information, please attend the online information session on the Advanced Diploma in Sustainable Development on Wednesday, </span><strong class="ms-rteForeColor-1" style="text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:#8b0000;">21 September from 17:30 - 18:30</strong><span> via MS Teams. To register for the online session, </span><span class="ms-rteForeColor-1" style="text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:#8b0000;"><strong style="text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:#8b0000;">click </strong></span><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd1e65jbEpugCBg7ruRz7JZV9pCRRIhEk7dW6yZaQy4a4avnw/viewform"><span class="ms-rteForeColor-1" style="text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:#8b0000;"><span style="text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:#8b0000;"><strong style="text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:#8b0000;">here</strong></span></span></a></li></ul><div style="color:#333333;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";font-size:14px;"><br></div><ul style="color:#333333;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";font-size:14px;padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 10px 25px;"><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd1e65jbEpugCBg7ruRz7JZV9pCRRIhEk7dW6yZaQy4a4avnw/viewform"><span class="ms-rteForeColor-1" style="text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:#8b0000;"><span style="text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:#8b0000;"><strong style="text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:#8b0000;"></strong></span></span></a>Applications for the Advanced Diploma in Sustainable Development close on <strong class="ms-rteForeColor-1" style="background-color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.85);font-family:"segoe ui", segoe, tahoma, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:#8b0000;">30 September.</strong></li></ul><div><font color="#8b0000"><b><br></b></font></div><div style="text-align:center;"><font color="#8b0000"><b><strong><img src="/english/faculty/economy/spl/SPL%20Library/Lindelwa%202.jpg" alt="" style="margin:5px;width:585px;" /></strong></b></font></div><div style="text-align:center;"><font color="#8b0000"><b><font color="#8b0000" style="font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";font-size:14px;text-align:center;background-color:#ffffff;"><strong>Lindelwa Mahlalela, Founder of LeeConnect, winner of Golden Circle of </strong><span class="ms-rteForeColor-1" style="text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:#8b0000;"><strong>the </strong></span></font><span class="ms-rteForeColor-1" style="font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";font-size:14px;text-align:center;background-color:#ffffff;text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:#8b0000;"><strong>Motsepe Foundation</strong></span>.<br></b></font></div><div style="text-align:center;"><font color="#8b0000"><b><br></b></font></div></div> |
| Educating girls and providing access to women remains the tried and tested method to true liberation | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=9470 | | Educating girls and providing access to women remains the tried and tested method to true liberation | Dr Patience N. Mbava | <p style="text-align:justify;">This women’s month, we remember the gallant women of 1956 who marched to Pretoria to demand change. Now, as we continue to assess the gains made by women in South Africa since 1994, we recognise the systemic weaknesses that continue to impede gender equality in South Africa. We need to remove historical, structural, institutional, and cultural barriers to the realisation of gender equality in South Africa.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">Educating girls and providing access to women remains the tried and tested method to true liberation as it unlocks fundamental human rights such as literacy and political participation. Access to higher education provides one with more choices, and embarking on a PhD programme can be life-changing. My PhD journey was daunting at times however my supervisor, with whom I had similar research interests, set clear delivery deadlines and held me accountable, more than anything, Prof Rabie skilfully guided me towards demonstrating doctorateness in my work and my contribution to knowledge.</p><p style="text-align:justify;"> </p><p style="text-align:justify;">The School of Public Leadership developed and equipped me to lead with confidence and gave me an academic voice, a stepping stone to debate policy ideas, and most of all, empowered me with skills in finding solutions to many of our complex developmental challenges. I now have the opportunity to contribute to the development of our country. As the Chairperson of the Financial and Fiscal Commission, appointed by President Ramaphosa, my key objective, working with parliamentary oversight mechanisms, is to ensure that allocated budgets and fiscal tools in all three spheres of government are gender inclusive and are responsive to the lived realities of women. This will progress the aspirations of the women who marched in 1956.<br></p><p><img src="/english/faculty/economy/spl/SPL%20Library/Dr%20Patience%20N.%20Mbava.jpg" alt="" style="margin:0px;width:665px;height:445px;" /><em>Dr Patience N. Mbava addressing women at the Women’s Charter Report Back event</em><br></p><p><br></p> |
| Just keep swimming and you will get there. | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=9472 | | Just keep swimming and you will get there. | Melissa Botha | <p style="text-align:justify;"><span>“If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you are always in the same place." -Nora Roberts. This is something I had to learn on my way to becoming a female academic. Fear of the unknown can often lead to two very different outcomes, either you can decide to not attempt because of fear of failure or you can leap, knock you head once or twice, trip over a few things and stumble across the finish line with stars in your eyes glistening with excitement. My journey entails a bit of both.</span></p><p style="text-align:justify;">Once I completed my studies, I was still unsure of what I was supposed to do with my life. What I did know was that I was 26 years old, newly married with a completed master's degree in public administration. Life was good but the uncertainty of not knowing what direction I was to take in my career was daunting. I started thinking about what impact I would like to make with my life, what mattered to me most and who and what impacted my life in the most meaningful way. I then identified people who really left their mark in my life and often it was people who took on the role of mentorship investing their time and effort in bringing out the best in me. What stood out to me was their faith in my ability, the kindness in their tone, the understanding and in essence the way I felt when I left them, and I realized that was what I wanted to duplicate in my life.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">The road leading up to me becoming an academic has not been a smooth one. At the age of 21 after completing my undergraduate degree, one of my professors recruited me to work as an intern at the School of Public Leadership and because we had a compulsory internship to do for my Honours Degree, I agreed. Once I had completed my honours degree, I was awarded a merit bursary to do my Masters degree and decided to continue studying. At this stage, I was no longer an intern but started a new responsibility as the Coordinator in Municipal Minimum Competency Levels Training Programme. I absolutely loved it but after a few years I needed change and searched for something that would make a bigger impact and give me the much needed job satisfaction I so deeply craved. I spent years trying to find “myself" going on several courses, teaching myself various skills and at one stage even convinced myself I should've gone to makeup school but not once did I consider academia.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">As a young South African woman whose lecturers did not necessarily represent who I was, what I look like, talk like, or have similar life experiences I found it incredibly hard to relate. In my mind, in order to be an academic, you needed to have a very specific personality with very specific interests which was all great but definitely wasn't me. One day this all changed for me I attended a class of one of my female colleagues and I was in awe, she was so relatable to me, and I thought wow what an inspiration! She remained true to who she was, conveyed the information in a manner that stimulated enthusiasm and excitement and best of all, she represented who and what I was.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">One day I remember waking up and could not think of anything else but that I aspired to be what I experienced the day before. I experienced excitement I had never experienced before with regards to direction in a career path. Hallelujah, at the ripe age of 32 years old it finally happened. Direction, oh and what a wonderful thing it was to have. Now I just needed to put in the work to make this my reality. I started paying closer attention to styles of teaching, research in the field and paid much closer attention to when people spoke about what was happening in the public sector and the like. I now knew what I wanted to do with my life and there was just no stopping me to get it. I then asked my director if I may attend the training courses on research, public speaking and writing because now that I have decided that I was going to be an academic I had to equip myself to become the best damn academic I could be.<br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">The day finally came where there was a job opening for a “Junior Lecturer" in my department and to my surprise over 200 applications. Once again, I did research on possible interview questions, tapped into experiences of older academics, learned some new technological skills and applied for the job. I got shortlisted and went to the first round of interviews, I had to do a presentation which followed on a set of questions from whomever wanted to know something, similar to classroom style lecture. The second part of my interview included a panel from academics from all over the University including the Dean of our faculty. To my delight, after about 3 weeks of waiting I was informed that I got the job and my journey of becoming an academic was finally a reality.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">Last week I celebrated my 1 year anniversary of being an academic and it is indeed everything I dreamed it would be. I am not saying it is always easy, because most of the time it's not, but even the hard times I welcome because I have never been this challenged, uncomfortable and at the same time excited before in my life and I realized this is what growth feels like. I am slowly becoming what I dreamed of and the impact I try and aim for is becoming my reality. Seeing the students' faces' light up when something finally makes sense or stimulating creative thoughts and ideas is something I cannot even explain. All I can say is dreams can come true, sometimes however you must fall and bump your head a few times to get there but one thing is for sure in the very wise words of Dory in the movie Finding Nemo, “just keep swimming" and you will get there. </p><p style="text-align:justify;"> <br></p><p><br></p> |
| Kühne Summer School presented great opportunities, says student | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=9371 | | Kühne Summer School presented great opportunities, says student | Daniel Bugan | <p><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;font-size:14px;">Sheba Kashiri has not only developed a renewed appreciation for her studies at Stellenbosch University but also a better understanding of her future career roles in her field after attending the Kühne Summer School in Sustainability </span><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;font-size:14px;">i</span><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;font-size:14px;">n Germany recently.</span></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;">The Summer School, held at the Kühne Logistics University in Hamburg, equipped students with new paradigms, theoretical concepts, skills and tools to better understand the impact of business on the environment and society. Students having this knowledge at their fingertips are much sought after by firms and can become powerful drivers of sustainable change.</p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;">Students were exposed to interactive lectures, case studies, group work and excursions. At the end of the course, students were able to, among other things, assess a company's engagement in sustainability, recognise trade-offs between different sustainability efforts of a company and identify corporate sustainability practices and opportunities in a business environment.<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;">Kashiri, who is in her second year of studying towards a diploma in sustainable development at SU's School of Public Leadership, said before the summer school she felt a bit unsure about what her future career in the sustainable development space would look like after her studies.</p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;">“l was one of those people who were concerned about what they will do after they finish studying. But the summer school cleared all my doubts. It gave me so much confidence and allowed me to embrace and appreciate my studies. This is important, because to excel in whatever one is doing, one first has to accept it and be passionate about it. I have developed a new energy and enjoyment for my studies, which is amazing."<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;">Kashiri said every day spent at the summer school was an unforgettable experience.</p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;">“Each day was amazing in its own way. However, the day that stood out for me the most, was when we went to Klimahaus Bremerhaven which means Climate House in English. It is a museum that is designed to allow people to explore different countries' temperature and climate in order to educate people about climate and climate change. We travelled to eight climate and temperature stations; this means we explored eight different countries in one building."<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;">“The first day of summer school, we also had a cooking event where we cooked our own dinner. I am a person who loves cooking and baking, so having that event as my first day of the summer school was awesome."<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;">She said the Kühne Summer School in Sustainability is not only an amazing experience but it also exposes one to great opportunities.</p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;">“Having this experience allows one to build great networks, develop ideas and to be aware of what is happening around the world."<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;">According to Shaun Dunn, lecturer at the School of Public leadership, courses such as the Kühne Summer School in Sustainability offers students a great opportunity to experience tertiary education outside South Africa.<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;text-align:justify;">“At the Diploma programme in Sustainable Development, we encourage our students to network locally as well as continentally and internationally. In developing strong African and international networks, their social-ecological impact will be felt across many places in the world. This hopefully enables them to be leaders who make a difference while leading from the heart."<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;">He said SU students interested in summer or winter school short-term courses hosted by various universities abroad can apply through the Stellenbosch University International Office.<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica;color:#333333;background-color:#ffffff;">The three-year Diploma in Sustainable Development Programme, presented at the Sustainability Institute's praxis hub, provides students with theoretical knowledge and practical experience in areas such as sustainable technologies, complexity and ecology, social entrepreneurship, leadership development, social activation, small business management skills, creativity and storytelling.<br></p><ul style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 10px 25px;color:#333333;font-family:raleway, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";font-size:14px;background-color:#ffffff;"><li style="line-height:20px;">Main photos: Sheba Kashiri cooking her own dinner and at Hamburg Train Station.<br><br></li><li style="line-height:20px;">Photo below: Sheba Kashiri with other students who attended the Kühne Summer School.<br></li></ul><div><font color="#333333" face="raleway, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, helvetica neue"><span style="font-size:14px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font color="#333333" face="raleway, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, helvetica neue"><span style="font-size:14px;"></span></font></div><p style="text-align:center;"><img src="/english/faculty/economy/spl/SPL%20Library/Sheba%20Kashiri%20with%20other%20students.jpg" alt="" style="text-align:center;margin:5px;" /><br></p> |
| Inclusive deliberation required to drive collective climate actions – Dr Dominic Okoliko | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=8846 | | Inclusive deliberation required to drive collective climate actions – Dr Dominic Okoliko | Corporate Communication & Marketing / Korporatiewe Kommunikasie & Bemarking [Alec Basson] | <p>The manner in which the media reports on climate change influences people's perceptions, attitudes and support for climate policy. Media(ted) climate change communication, i.e. the presentation of climate change as a policy and people's view of climate change in the media, has been recognised as an important space where the public make sense of climate issues. Unfortunately, little attention has been given to the nature of social diversity, or different categories of social actors, in media representations and the extent to which it affects public sense-making around climate change governance.<br></p><p>This is according to Dr Dominic Okoliko from the School of Public Leadership at Stellenbosch University (SU). He obtained his doctorate in Public and Development Management on Tuesday 14 December 2021 at SU's December graduation.<br></p><p>For his PhD study, Okoliko, who hails from Nigeria, explored media(ted) climate change communication in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya by analysing articles on climate change in some of these countries' major newspapers and also interviewing journalists covering the issue. His analysis focused on the extent to which social diversity and a plurality of views are reflected in the media's coverage of climate change.</p><p>Okoliko says sustainability transitions require an engaged public who are negotiating, endorsing, and legitimising policy options. Therefore, his study redirects attention to how the processes of sense-making in the media on climate change issues reveal positionalities and material realities that shape the climate change discourse. According to Okoliko, positionalities refer to how differences in social position and power shape the claims-maker's role.<br></p><p>He adds that we have a limited understanding of how lower-income societies, especially those in Africa, engage in sense-making around climate change through the media. He says these societies are often the most vulnerable to the damaging effects of climate change.<br></p><p>Okoliko says the results of his study showed that a range of actors, including politicians, experts, transnational development agencies, business people, civil society groups and ordinary members of the public, are given a voice in the media. <br></p><p>“However, my study found that the views of politicians and experts received unparalleled and privileged coverage. Ordinary members of the public were remarkably under-represented which indicates a skewed climate change representation towards the elites. This was true for the newspapers analysed across the three countries. <br></p><p>“The results indicate that it matters to pay attention to who gets heard when climate change is discussed. Different actors emphasise the interpretations which align with their values and interests. <br></p><p>“For example, the industry actors were closely matched to economic frames on climate change while the public were more likely to speak on impacts and agricultural frames. What this tells us is that under-representation of a particular group could limit their contribution to public deliberation on climate change."<br></p><p>Okoliko adds that all the journalists he interviewed agreed it is important to expand the deliberative space offered by the media to the public on climate change. <br></p><p>“They mentioned, however, that in reality a plurality of views is not always accommodated. This has to do with how the journalists perceive their role in relation to covering climate change, the kind of norms that guide their practice, and the material conditions under which they work."<br></p><p>Okoliko says the journalists also mentioned the impact dwindling media revenue has had on climate change reporting. <br></p><p>“They indicated that news about the environment and climate change often takes a backseat because of limited resources. Additionally, as editors try to meet the expectations of readers to guarantee more 'clicks' and 'comments', news about climate change does not feature so prominently unless of course, it's about a specific natural disaster." <br></p><p>Okoliko says because climate change is not a problem of a particular group or location, exposing people to the differences in experience of and perspectives on climate change can help to raise awareness and transform attitudes towards climate solutions. <br></p><p>“My study emphasises the importance of co-creative sense-making regarding climate change and as well as the danger of elite-driven media(ted) deliberation that limits bottom-up participation.<br></p><p>“Public sense-making regarding climate change should be a process of inclusive deliberation because the issue is complex, multi-layered and cross-sectoral with many different actors involved. Inclusive deliberation is required to drive collective climate actions."<br></p><p><strong>Photo</strong>: Dr Dominic Okoliko at the graduation ceremony. <strong>Photographer</strong>: Stefan Els</p><p> <br></p><p><br></p> |
| An Exploratory type of research to evaluate the impact of a selected ECD centres on immediate families | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=8809 | | An Exploratory type of research to evaluate the impact of a selected ECD centres on immediate families | SPL Media Reporter | <p><br><br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">A global literature search on early childhood development reveals that numerous studies and academic papers have focused on the macro, meso and micro factors deemed necessary for an effective Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme. The literature has also confirmed and presented evidence which supports the benefits and outcomes of ECD programmes. Furthermore, the limitations, challenges and prevailing weak social and economic dimensions have also been identified and explained which negate the effectiveness of these ECD programmes. No literature could be traced on the positive and negative impact or influence of preschool learners who attend an ECD programme on the immediate family and/or household.<br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">The research study attempted to conduct an exploratory type of research to evaluate the impact of a selected ECD centre, commonly referred to as a crèche or nursery school, on the immediate families and households of the preschool learners who attended and completed the ECD programme offered at this ECD centre.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">The ECD centre is located in the village of Prince Alfred Hamlet within the municipal jurisdiction of Witzenberg Municipality, Western Cape Province, South Africa. The village is a sub-economic rural town with the majority of the population employed as seasonal farm workers within the indigent economic category. The ECD centre was established 10 years ago with an annual enrolment target ranging between 75–150 learners. The age of the learners who enter the pre-reception level varies between eighteen months to five years.</p><p>The ECD programme offered by the selected ECD centre served as the single case for this research study. The study falls within an interpretivist paradigm with an exploratory research design through the adoption of qualitative research methods.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">The target population included the Grade 7 learners who were registered at the primary school – also referred to as the receiving school – and who attended the selected ECD centre. The learners, purposively selected, attained Grade 6 in the required minimum academic period. The parents or guardians of the target population were also identified as a second participant grouping. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">Arising from the analysis of the literature analysis, four primary constructs were identified and defined for the two focus group sessions which provided the premise for the design and development of the research data collection guidelines. The four primary constructs were:<br></p><ul><li>Social Development;</li><li>Cognitive Development;</li><li>Social Family Structure/Function; and</li><li>Social Interpersonal Relationships.</li></ul><p style="text-align:justify;">A qualitative thematic framework was developed to structure the narrative analysis so that the personal experiences of the learners and parents/guardians could be interpreted according to the functional analysis procedure that observed their actual story. To ensure thematic analysis of the learner and parent/guardian narratives was conducted systematically and consistently, one researcher who was not part of the data collection procedure, analysed the narratives resulting in intra-coder reliability and stability from which valid inferences could be made.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">The learners' bias was on the family structure/function and interpersonal themes and associated sub-themes when asked to prioritise and rank, rather than on the family domestic challenges such as causes of conflict and anti-social behaviour which were beyond their control. In their individual development ranking, a strong indication was detected that they were not comfortable with these occurrences. The parents/guardians who participated were all female and aligned towards cognitive development and its accumulated benefits with social development also scoring very high which included family socialisation and communication manifested in discipline and adaptive behaviour at home.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">As an exploratory type of research, it may be concluded that the research study achieved its aim, however, the actual impact, positive or negative on each sub-theme was not determined due to the complexity and nature of the research. The thematic framework provided a good premise to measure, qualitatively, the perception and degree of importance within the family context but could not identify the manifestations or recorded events which could be linked or ascribed to the influence of the selected ECD centre.<br></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><br></p><p style="text-align:center;"> <img src="/english/faculty/economy/spl/SPL%20Library/ECD%20Colage%20.jpg" alt="" style="margin:0px;width:550px;height:445px;" /><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p> |
| SU alumna Dr Patience Mbava appointed as Chairperson of Financial and Fiscal Commission | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=8493 | | SU alumna Dr Patience Mbava appointed as Chairperson of Financial and Fiscal Commission | SPL Media Reporter | <p><br><span style="text-align:justify;">The Financial and Fiscal Commission (Commission) is pleased to announce the appointment of its full-time Chairperson Dr Patience Nombeko Mbava, by the President of the Republic of South Africa Mr Cyril Ramaphosa. Dr Mbava is appointed for a term of five years with effect from 17 August 2021.</span><br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">Dr Nombeko Mbava holds a PHD: Public and Development Management; and MBA (Stellenbosch University) as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Economics (Smith College, Massachusetts, USA). She brings a wealth of expertise as a member of various boards. Dr Mbava has headed monitoring and evaluation units in public entities where she provided strategic leadership for activities related to organisational strategy development and governance. She served as a board member at the South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association. She is a Research Fellow - Public Sector Monitoring and Evaluation at the Stellenbosch University School of Public Leadership. Dr Mbava has exemplary academic awards and achievements</p><p style="text-align:justify;">The Commission would also like to extend its gratitude to the Deputy Chairperson for his stewardship during his tenure as the Acting Chairperson after the untimely passing away of the erstwhile Chairperson the late Prof Daniel Plaatjies.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">The Commission looks forward to the leadership of Dr Mbava and wishes her well in her responsibilities.</p><p style="text-align:justify;"> <br></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><br></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><br></p><p><br></p> |
| Ethical, accountable leadership needed to fix dysfunctional municipalities | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=8422 | | Ethical, accountable leadership needed to fix dysfunctional municipalities | Harlan Cloete | <p>Will our government's District Development Model be enough to fix dysfunctional municipalities? This is the question Dr Harlan Cloete from the School of Public Leadership tried to answer in an opinion piece for <em>Cape Tim</em>es (21 July 2021).<br></p><ul><li>Read the article below or click <a href="https://pclientclips.s3.af-south-1.amazonaws.com/20210721/NSU-1626842609559_13465B3.pdf#page=1"><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0">here</strong></a><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0"> </strong>for the piece as published.</li></ul><p><strong>Harlan Cloete*</strong> <br></p><p>In South Africa, barely a day goes by without reported treasonous revelations of fraud and corruption, wastage, infrastructure deterioration and municipalities that have lost the confidence of the very communities they are called to serve, expressed through sometimes violent “service delivery" unrest spearheaded by the poor. The latest report by the Auditor-General (AG) confirms that some municipalities have quite frankly become dysfunctional as unbridled looting and incompetence abound. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">Not surprisingly, the reporting by municipalities on their performance was even worse than their financial reporting. Less than a quarter of our municipalities could provide quality performance reports to audit, while just under half of them continue to publish performance information that was unreliable or had little relevance to what they had promised to do in their strategic planning documents (i.e. the Integrated Development Plan and the Work Skills and Equity Plans). <br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">The District Development Model (DDM) is government's latest response to arrest the bedevilling governance collapse of municipalities. The DDM is built on a set of guiding principles. And principles don't change. As the saying goes, “What goes up, must come down". The guiding principles (read behaviours) of the DDM advocate a joint “One Plan" effected through a series of collaborative and deep integrated planning sessions reflecting on research, evidence, solution and innovation-oriented dialogues based on each district/metro's own dynamics, challenges and opportunities. <br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">It's not about ticking boxes and being driven by compliance, but rather re-imagining a preferred future and identifying the strategies and interventions that will enable change and impact. One of the challenges the DDM seeks to overcome is the absence of an automated system to manage DDM operations, reporting, monitoring and governance as there is no centralised repository of data to enable government to realise the vision of coordinated planning & budgeting. <br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">The institutional vehicle for the DDM is the district hub. The hub, in turn, is governed through three workstreams: the Integrated Planning & Implementation stream tasked to undertake and/or coordinate research related to service delivery and development; the Capacity Building stream oversees the implementation of capacity building; and the Monitoring stream will develop baseline monitoring information and data to ensure that service delivery takes place. <br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">But hang on, have we not seen this before? It's a big ask to trust those responsible for the failure of local government to rebuild it. Those, who through tick-box compliance, governed us into this mess.<br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">Over the course of the last two decades, there have been so many initiatives, plans and strategies and even direct interventions by the national and provincial government, with very little impact, as confirmed by the office of the AG. So what hope is there that the DDM will be the panacea for local governance ills?</p><p style="text-align:justify;">I believe and concur with the AG that the only way to turn this around and ensure good governance, is if ethical and accountable local government leadership drives the desired behavioural change. What this requires is a leadership that understands the why (purpose), the how (competencies) and the what (innovative service delivery in an ever-changing context) of public office. And this is a non-partisan endeavour. When elected leaders put their purpose together and focus only on impact and results, the community ultimately benefit. <br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">And this is achieved through disciplined and committed constitutionalists such as Kennith Fourie and Nomvuyo Mposelwa, chief financial officer (CFO) and mayor of the rural Senqu municipality in the Eastern Cape respectively. The pair led the municipality to another clean audit by getting the basics right. Fourie rose from an intern to CFO and ascribes the success to adherence to daily disciplines (implementing procedures, systems, planning, etc.). Mayor Mposelwa, on the other hand, is firmly focused on making sure the job gets done by not interfering with tenders or finances. <br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">In addition to ethical leaders like Mposelwa, we will need human resource development (HRD) practitioners to be skilled in advising and helping municipal leaders navigate the complex organisational change management programmes such as the DDM, given that 70% of change management initiatives fail or partially succeed. These practitioners must assume new roles as credible change strategic partners of managers who are tasked with aligning people, strategy, and performance as pointed out by acclaimed British scholar Robert Hamlin in the book <em>Evidence-based organizational change and development </em>(2019).</p><p style="text-align:justify;">Although I choose to remain optimistic, I am afraid that the DDM may very well be our last chance to get our local government house in order. Communities are quite frankly fed-up with municipal mediocrity. And there must be consequences for poor performance. I know it's a big ask, but communities must claim back their agency and vote in their numbers in the next local government elections. They should also actively participate between elections to articulate the deferred dream of 1994. <br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">Getting things back on track will require a whole-of-society approach that includes, among others, tertiary institutions that must partner with municipalities to strengthen local government through the application of evidence-based policymaking and the science of implementation (delivery).<br></p><ul><li>Photo courtesy of <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apartheid_Soweto_Joburg_South_Africa_Slum_Bidonville_July_2005.jpg"><span class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0"><strong>Wikimedia Commo</strong><strong><span>n</span><span>s</span></strong></span></a>.<br></li></ul><p style="text-align:justify;"><strong><em>*</em></strong><strong><em>Dr Harlan Cloete is an extraordinary lecturer at the School of Public Leadership at Stellenbosch University. His main research interest is exploring evidence-based HRD governance systems in the public sector with a keen interest in local government.</em></strong></p><p><br></p> |
| Student entrepreneur's winning app to assist disadvantaged learners | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=8419 | | Student entrepreneur's winning app to assist disadvantaged learners | Daniel Bugan | <p></p><p style="font-size:14px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";background-color:#ffffff;">Lindelwa Mahlalela, a final-year student in the Sustainable Development Diploma programme in the<strong> </strong>School of Public Leadership, has been selected as the overall winner in the Stellenbosch University (SU) round of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Intervarsity Competition for 2021.</p><p style="font-size:14px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";background-color:#ffffff;">SU's internal round of the EDHE Competition, presented by the LaunchLab and the SU Office of the Vice-Rector for Research from 17 May to 19 June, required studentpreneurs to pitch their businesses or ideas.</p><p style="font-size:14px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";background-color:#ffffff;">Mahlalela entered her business, LeeConnect, under the Existing Business – Social Impact category. LeeConnect aims to give disadvantaged learners the opportunity to further their studies, and the necessary support structure when they get to tertiary institutions. It offers services that assist young people with university, college and bursary applications, as well as career guidance and mentorship. The company also offers extra classes where they assist learners to improve their marks.</p><p style="font-size:14px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";background-color:#ffffff;">Mahlalela says she entered the EDHE competition because it was a great opportunity for her to showcase her passion.</p><p style="font-size:14px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";background-color:#ffffff;">“I am passionate about education. It is my goal to educate people worldwide to believe in themselves, follow their dreams and further their studies. LeeConnect was established in 2018 after I met a young girl who passed her matric with outstanding results but had no idea what an email address was. I saw the need to educate and assist young people in rural areas to apply for tertiary institutions because they are not exposed to information and technological advancements.</p><p style="font-size:14px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";background-color:#ffffff;">“Starting LeeConnect has made me realise that I want to be the change that I want to see in my community. The experience has helped me polish my leadership and communication skills. I am good at working with people, to empower and inspire them. I take a great deal of pride and joy in guiding others to work together to improve themselves and their communities. I believe that knowledge is useless when we keep it to ourselves, but knowledge becomes powerful when we share it with others."<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";background-color:#ffffff;">LeeConnect recently partnered with 24-year-old information technology software development final-year student at Tshwane University of Technology, Dingaan Letjane, the founder and creator of an app called UniAPS.<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";background-color:#ffffff;">“The app allows learners to check which courses they qualify for and in which universities, and they receive more information about our services to assist them with the application processes," explains Mahlalela.</p><p style="font-size:14px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";background-color:#ffffff;">She says studying the Sustainable Development programme has sharpened her entrepreneurial abilities and given her the confidence to start LeeConnect.</p><p style="font-size:14px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";background-color:#ffffff;">“In my first year, I learnt a lot about the importance of self-reflection. I had an amazing experience when we were given a task to brainstorm business ideas that were related to one or more of the sustainable development goals. Teamwork was mandatory and I believe that forced me out of my comfort zone and helped me to adjust and adapt to different situations. All the practical learning has given me the necessary qualities of being an entrepreneur.<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";background-color:#ffffff;">“The Diploma in Sustainable Development is an exceptional opportunity for aspiring social entrepreneurs because it challenges you to unlearn and relearn and be committed to life-long learning."<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";background-color:#ffffff;">Mahlalela credits her mother, Thobile Hlatshwayo, for being her strength and the inspiration for LeeConnect.</p><p style="font-size:14px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";background-color:#ffffff;">“My mother has always supported every dream I have. Venture capitalist and serial entrepreneur Vusi Thembekwayo once said, 'Find someone who speaks greatness into you when you can't speak greatness into yourself'. That someone in my life is my mom."<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";background-color:#ffffff;">Prof Ingrid Woolard, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, congratulated Mahlalela on her achievement.</p><p style="font-size:14px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";background-color:#ffffff;">“This is a very exciting project. It is incredibly difficult for learners to navigate the higher education sector and to find the information they need. Lindelwa's app will go a long way in helping to bridge that information gap. We wish her every success in the next round."<br></p><p style="font-size:14px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";background-color:#ffffff;">Mahlalela will now represent SU in the regional round of the competition in August where she will be competing with winners from other universities.</p><p style="font-size:14px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";background-color:#ffffff;">Should she emerge as a regional winner, she will then pitch her business in the national finals in November where she stands a chance to walk away with prize money to the value of R100 000 as the overall winner.<br></p><ul style="padding:0px;margin:0px 0px 10px 25px;color:#333333;font-family:calibri, verdana, trebuchet, helvetica, arial, sans-serif, "helvetica neue";font-size:14px;background-color:#ffffff;"><li style="line-height:20px;">Photo supplied<br></li></ul><p><br></p> |
| Africa crippled by corruption | http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=8402 | | Africa crippled by corruption | Pregala Pillay, Evan Mantzaris & Chris Jones | <p>Sunday (11 July) was African Anti-Corruption Day. In opinion pieces for the media, Profs Pregala Pillay (School of Public Leadership) & Evan Mantzaris (School of Public Leadership & Mangosuthu University of Technology), and Dr Chris Jones (Unit for Moral Leadership) reflect on what it will take to root out corruption in South Africa and the rest of the continent. Click on the links below to read the articles.<br></p><ul><li>Profs Pregala Pillay & Evan Mantzaris (<a href="https://www.news24.com/news24/columnists/guestcolumn/opinion-pregala-pillay-evan-mantzaris-covid-19-was-another-opportunity-for-the-corrupt-to-loot-20210709"><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0">News24</strong></a>)</li><li>Dr Chris Jones (<a href="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2021-07-06-corruption-is-crippling-africa-more-like-sand-than-oil-in-the-economic-engine/"><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0">Daily Maveric</strong>k</a>)</li></ul><p>Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.piqsels.com/en/public-domain-photo-zogjr"><strong class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-5-0">piqsels.com</strong></a>.<br></p><p><br></p> |
