CUT Professor explores research collaboration opportunities in the United Arab Emirates
Photo: Profs. Lawrence Meda, Alfred Makura and Laila Mohebi, discussing various research collaboration opportunities between institutions.
Prof. Alfred Makura, Associate Professor in Postgraduate Studies at the Central University of Technology, took a trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he conducted research discussions and collaboration strategies with two institutions, namely Sharjah Education Academy and Zayed University.
At Sharjah Education Academy, Prof. Makura and his counterpart, Prof. Lawrence Meda, discussed plans to conduct research on inclusive education, particularly the use of technology in education. Prof. Meda will lead the project, while Prof. Makura will focus on providing comparative insights into the South African education transformation post-1994.
At Zayed University, Prof. Makura is working with Prof. Laila Mohebi on research into teaching and learning in general. Prof. Mohebi shared a call for proposals and suggested the three produce a topic related to women empowerment or women in leadership. The focus shall be on school leadership – a comparative study of South Africa and the United Arab Emirates female school principals.
Regarding STEM, there are plans to investigate what influences students to select STEM subjects, particularly women. Currently, Prof. Mohebi is working on a collaborative “career choices” paper.
They intend to propose a framework consisting of education reforms in the UAE - Past, Present and Future. The tools of analysis will be document Analysis of Ministry of Education policies, frameworks, and decrees. The project plans to use interviews wherein principals who have taught for more than 20 years as well as Education officials.
Collaborations with academics from other institutions of higher learning are essential as they lead to greater research outcomes. More partnerships mean that the research can be used to make our communities better, which ties in with CUT’s Vision 2030, which states that by 2030, the University will be a leading African university of technology, shaping the future through innovation.
