Dr Sebastian Sanjigadu, Department of Educational and Professional Studies, Faculty of Humanities.

The Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) continues to strengthen its research capacity and commitment to quality teacher education following a significant funding achievement by Dr Sebastian Sanjigadu from the Department of Educational and Professional Studies in the Faculty of Humanities. During his first year at the University, Dr Sanjigadu secured research and development funding totalling R222 500 to advance mathematics education, strengthen teaching practices and improve the professional development of pre-service teachers.

The funding comprises two grants totalling R152 500 from the DSTI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (CoE-MaSS). The first grant of R90 000 supports the Micro-Teaching Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers’ Workshop, which equips future mathematics teachers with practical teaching skills through lesson planning, collaborative learning, reflective practice and micro-teaching activities. A second grant of R62 500 will support further development of mathematics teaching capacity through micro-teaching and community-based school interventions.

In addition, Dr Sanjigadu secured R70 000 through CUT’s internal research development programmes. This includes a R50 000 Early-Career Researcher Capacity Development Grant, awarded through the Emerging Career Researcher Programme, to investigate pre-service teachers’ experiences of micro-teaching and professional development. A further R20 000 was awarded through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Communities of Practice for a 12-month project focused on improving teaching approaches in higher education through collaborative learning.

The achievement represents an important investment in research that connects educational theory with practical teaching experience. Through the funded projects, pre-service mathematics teachers will have opportunities to strengthen their instructional skills, reflect on their teaching approaches and engage with real classroom challenges. The research will also contribute to a better understanding of how micro-teaching and professional development can prepare future teachers for effective classroom practice.

Reflecting on the achievement, Dr Sanjigadu said: “This funding validates our research direction and empowers us to build sustainable academic frameworks while actively contributing to national scholarly outputs.”

He highlighted the direct benefit of the projects to student teachers, explaining that they provide a structured environment in which future educators can develop the confidence and skills needed to respond to different classroom situations.

“For our pre-service teachers, these projects directly bridge abstract theory and classroom reality. Through targeted micro-teaching workshops and community-based school interventions, student teachers gain a structured environment to build practical instructional skills, navigate real classroom dynamics, and emerge as highly confident, responsive mathematics educators,” he said.

Beyond the funded projects, Dr Sanjigadu has also contributed to international academic engagement involving CUT, the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and EPIZ Berlin, Germany. An online seminar held on 17 October 2026 brought together CUT pre-service teachers, UKZN postgraduate students and international education partners to explore how mathematics can be connected to real-world challenges through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The collaboration is expected to create further opportunities for joint research, academic exchange and international training from 2027.

Highlighting the value of the partnership, Dr Sanjigadu said it “bridges CUT’s regional teacher training with global educational standards while exposing pre-service teachers to cross-border pedagogical frameworks and diverse classroom methodologies”. He added that it also creates opportunities for collaborative research publications, international grant funding and global training networks for students and early-career researchers.

Through these research initiatives, Dr Sanjigadu is contributing to the development of future mathematics educators while expanding CUT’s research activities and academic partnerships. The funding achievement further demonstrates the importance of investing in emerging researchers whose work contributes to improved teaching, stronger research capacity and the advancement of quality education.