On 11 October 2016, the Faculty of Humanities at CUT hosted an Annual Prestige Research Seminar to foster staff members, postgraduate students, and academics to share their research endeavors, innovations, models, theories and strategies that address the issues and challenges related to cultivating communities for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research in the faculty. 

 

The keynote Speaker and Head of Department: Economic and Management Sciences at the School of Social Sciences and Language Education in University of Free State, Dr Molaodi Tshelane, presented on ‘The changing context of Higher Education research in Africa’.

Based on his topic, Dr Tshelane said that universities in democratic societies must go beyond professional curriculum practice, which is essential to understand how students learn and at the same time, forms part of a fundamental life plant of every research institution. He also mentioned the three main aspects of a university - to educate, conduct research and translate research as positive effects in a changing society. He also mentioned the current uncertainties vis-à-vis the future of students in higher education, which he said, are due to the structural challenges that were overlooked in the past 22 years. “The aim of education is tied to the nature and epitomes of a particular society. Today we are forced by our students to pause a little, listen and remind ourselves of the objectives of a university. The recent aims promoted by the #fallism movement in South Africa clearly showed narrow thinking and requires us to talk to the question: whose agenda are we serving? To unmask this hidden agenda, we should demand more from universities than to educate people to be proficient in reading mathematics,” he said. 

Emerging researchers and scholars from both Bloemfontein and Welkom campus present their research work and shared their accomplishments; received words of encouragement and in return, they received positive feedback and constructive criticism from experienced researchers. Presenters included Ms Nandi Lessing-Venter, Dr Luzaan Schlebusch, Mr Gustav Macklin Barnard, Mr Boitumelo Molokwane, Ms. M Phakisi, Department of Pure Sciences, Lesotho College of Education in Lesotho; Mr Martin Challenor, Ms Elena Baldea, Mr Pocian Tagutanazvo, Ms MB Maope, Ms Ntoatsabone Jeanette and Mr Joel Johannes de Lange, Head of Department:  Accounting, Goudveld High School.  

Images 

1: Dr Molaodi Tshelane, Head of the Economic and Management Sciences Department, School for Social Sciences and Language Education at the University of the Free State. 

2: Attendees during the prestige research seminar.