Dr Pinkie Champ Champion Ntamo, newly appointed Senior Director of the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT). 

The Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) proudly welcomes Dr Pinkie Champ Champion Ntamo as the new Senior Director of the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT). Her appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the university’s teaching and learning agenda, one that calls for visible impact in student success, strengthened academic practice, and coherent, well-governed innovation across the institution.

Dr Champion Ntamo brings a wealth of higher education experience grounded in academic development, institutional support, and strategic leadership in teaching and learning. She joins CUT from Nelson Mandela University, where she served as a Senior Academic Developer, leading institution-wide initiatives in learning and teaching, staff development quality assurance, and the assessment of student learning. Her earlier roles at the University of Fort Hare as Teaching and Learning Consultant and Learning Advancement Coordinator, further reflect a deep commitment to student academic support, curriculum development, and structured learning advancement.

Her scholarly profile speaks directly to the demands of a contemporary higher education environment. Dr Ntamo recently completed a Doctor of Business Administration in Higher Education Management at the University of Bath, focusing on students’ experiences of assessment in South African universities. She also holds a Master of Education with a focus on teaching portfolios in higher education and is currently completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education at Rhodes University. This combination of academic depth and practical insight equips her to lead transformative, evidence-based institutional improvement. Her active participation in academic planning, ethics committees, and leadership roles within HELTASA further strengthens her capacity to guide policy-aligned implementation and quality assurance.

The Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching carries a broad and integrated mandate, encompassing student academic support, curriculum and staff development, e-learning, language development, disability support, and strategic teaching and learning projects. Her proven expertise in academic development, curriculum and quality enhancement, assessment innovation, technology-enhanced learning, and multilingual awareness aligns seamlessly with this mandate. Under her leadership, the Centre is well positioned to consolidate high-impact programmes, strengthen institutional coherence, and deepen a culture of scholarly, student-centred, and socially responsive teaching and learning at CUT.