Opportunities galore for learners and students this recess

Guest blogger Roslyn Baatjies

For many learners school’s out, but for those who intend improving their marks and getting into university next year, there is no rest.

Driving into work this morning, we saw a number of young people entering the campuses and someone asked when lectures are ending. I responded that lectures have ended and that those young people were learners attending either the accounting or engineering winter schools or the Science Discovery Week at NMMU.

This week close to  900 Grade 11 and 12 learners will be exposed to the fascinating worlds of accounting, science and engineering over the June/July school holidays at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

The Science Discovery Week – that will be attended by 300 learners from 56 schools in the Eastern Cape - promises to open the eyes of Grade 11 and 12 learners to the intriguing fields of Science in a fun and informal setting. Daily activities will include visits to various Science Faculty departments where learners will participate in subject-specific experiments.

Offered for the past eight years, the event started off with 60 learners and has now grown to 300 participants. With topics like ‘’Game Changers - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Science”, “Light Fantastic” and ‘’Chemistry Unplugged‘’ learners will not only be educated, but also entertained.

NMMU’s Accounting winter school programme, geared towards helping Grade 11 and 12 pupils improve their marks and their chances of attending university, boasts an impressive track record.

Almost a third of the 520 pupils who attended last year’s Grade 12 winter school successfully registered for degrees or diplomas at NMMU. An analysis comparing their June matric results with their December results has revealed that many of them shot up by as much as 30%.

This year’s week-long Accounting winter school for Grade 12s, sponsored by Deloitte, takes place from June 29 to July 3, while the three-day Grade 11 winter school, sponsored by PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC), takes place from July 7 to 9.

The annual engineering winter school has been offered for the past 10 years and will take place from 12 to 17 July. The programme for 30 learners from 14 high schools will include, among others, visits to VWSA and Continental Tyre.

In addition, a winter school project with a difference will be held off-campus by the NMMU Department of Social Development Professions and driven by social work lecturer Dr Veonna Goliath.

Dr Goliath says the winter school is truly interdisciplinary in nature and has a longer term community development focus.

The project, located in the Northern Areas at Bethvale Primary School, was initiated by the Uniting Reformed church in Chatty and part of Dr Goliath’s  post-doctoral work. From Monday 29 June to Thursday 2 July 2015 tutors from mainly the Faculty of Education’s postgraduate programme will tutor Grade 10 and 11 learners in specific subjects.

And in rural Eastern Cape, our SRC is making information accessible in a bid to assist high school learners in raising their awareness of matters relating to access to higher education.

At NMMU there definitely is no lack of opportunities to share or gain knowledge. 

‘Jumping off planes with parachutes’: attributes for success …

NMMU Vice-Chancellor's Scholars with Chancellor Santie Botha and Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz (centre).

An excellent academic record just isn’t going to hack it anymore. That’s as Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) Chancellor Santie Botha* intimated in her address to the university’s chosen few – the 2015 cohort of Vice-Chancellor’s Scholars.

Today’s ever-changing world means what was good enough yesterday is no longer good enough today. Instead, today’s generation must strive far beyond top marks.

Ask the Chancellor herself.

The former South African Business Woman of the Year works in our volatile, uncertain, ever-changing world … a far cry from the one in which she grew up when a degree guaranteed you a decent job.

Now, says Ms Botha, only the fittest, creative out of the box thinkers, entrepreneurs and true innovators are successful.

“You won’t be boarding trains with tickets, you’ll be jumping out of airplanes,” Ms Botha told the 26 Vice-Chancellor’s Scholars, their parents and NMMU staff at the Awards Dinner to recognise their achievement in being selected to the R82 782-a-year bursary.

“Success is no longer about playing it safe.”

Instead, she continued at the prestigious event in the university’s Indoor Sports Centre, it’s about getting involved beyond your books, showing what you can give and by providing solutions to the likes of our ailing global economy, crime, terrorism, climate change, poverty, disease … (no pressure, guys!)

To do this, you need:

1. The ability to add true value

2. The capacity to try new things

3. An appetite for risk and

4. The acceptance of trial and error as a career strategy.

Ultimately, to succeed in a world that is going to bulge to three billion within the two decades with a massive middle class, today’s students are going to have to add real value in whatever field they find themselves in.

Are you up to it?

VC Scholars (back from left) Mylon Jonas, Ruan Olivier, (front) Carla Barnard, Anandi Botha and Sumaiya Moses

*Full transcript of Chancellor’s address at the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship Awards Dinner

I would like to start by congratulating every one of the students here this evening on being a deserving winner. It is an honour to have students of your calibre at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University to specialise in your chosen fields. I would also like to congratulate you on your excellent choice of university. I can assure you, that wherever you might end up working in the world one day, you will never have to explain where Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University is situated or which country you are from.

Also, as you have chosen the only university in the world that carries the name of the greatest leader of all time, Mr Nelson Mandela … I would like to give you one of his famous quotes…’A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination. There are very few misfortunes in the world that you cannot turn into a personal triumph if you have the iron will and the necessary skill. It is what we make of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another’.

My request to you is that as young achievers and potential leaders in your respective fields and also of our beloved country and beyond…that you don’t only look at what Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University can give to you but also what YOU can give back to the university. What I mean when I say that is that you don’t only excel in your academic studies but that you get involved …. In community work, in sport, in research and truly make a difference to other people’s lives, your own life and ultimately, make NMMU the university where all top achievers want to be. Because this will prepare you even more for the world of work when you leave here.

Because we live in the right-brain society today. Where it is about survival of the fittest, creative out of the box thinkers, entrepreneurs, true innovators. People who question the status quo…irrespective of the kind of discipline that you are in. To always ask the critical questions and improve on the answers. Everybody has a point of view but it’s impossible for everyone to always be right …Think of the global challenges today… an anemic global economy, transnational crime and terrorism, climate change, poverty, disease … and there-in lies the challenge … how to become involved in solving those global challenges and creating a new order..

To succeed in the world to come, you won’t be boarding trains with tickets; you’ll be jumping off planes with parachutes.

We live in fast changing, enormously disruptive times. Success is no longer about playing safe, being predictable, or following schedules. That’s how it was when I was growing up.



There are too many disruptions still afoot to believe in the train metaphor anymore. Digital-mobile-social-technology platforms have already laid waste to a whole range of industries and professions. There are no predictable trains running in media, music, and communication or publishing anymore because the old rules have been overturned by the fact that a billion people now carry connected consumption devices in their pockets.

Watch the heat being turned up even more, as easily used software and mobile hardware takes away a big chunk of what professionals used to see as their bread and butter. Doctors, lawyers, accountants will no longer be able to sell simple processing or basic procedures – they will have to elevate to higher-level advisory roles, or become irrelevant.

In the next two decades, three billion people are expected to be added to the already growing middle class. That’s great for consumption - many sales to be made - but a huge strain on limited resources like food, water, oil. Technological change will have to be even more rapid for the planet to cope with all those extra wallets, mouths and fingers. New forms of energy, synthetic foods and tighter environmental regulation are not just likely – it’s a done deal.

So, you will ask me, what is “safe” in the world of work tomorrow?

The truth is, no one knows. “Safe” work does not exist anymore. In our unpredictable world today, you have to be able to do the following.

1. The ability to add true value, not just simple procedural inputs

2. The capacity to try things out that have never been done before

3. An appetite for risk and

4. The acceptance of trial and error as a career strategy. Thinking out of the box and finding your “own brand and your own way” of doing things in your chosen discipline is a no brainer.

It’s scary stuff, but if it’s any consolation, I am in exactly the same boat. But I know that at the heart of success, it is always about providing genuine, distinctive value to others. And that never changes. What does change, however, is the form and format of delivery with constant re-invention at its core. What is new today is yesterday’s news tomorrow. And that is what I want you to have at the back of your minds as you start your studies.

So in a competitive environment, where you want to win, you always have to push the boundaries. And when you make those big decisions, there is always risk involved. If there is no risk involved, then the decisions are not big enough to start off with. Remember the market today is global…and the war for the best talent is intense. You have to ensure that you become the best that you can ultimately be.

To every parent, teacher and headmaster here this evening, I would like to congratulate and thank you for your support, your love and belief in creating deserving winners and our leaders of tomorrow.

Ndiyabulela nongomso.

A sea of blue - celebrating 10 years

Guest blogger Bev Erickson

To say we were blown away is an understatement! NMMU staff certainly celebrated in style yesterday by wearing their 10-year T-shirts to work and taking photos of themselves.

Forming a ten with their staff, showing ten fingers, jumping in the air and smiling from ear to ear were the order of the day as the photos below will attest.

In recognition of NMMU’s 10th birthday celebrations, staff were asked to don their new NMMU 10th anniversary T-shirts on “T-shirt Tuesday” as we named it – and to capture the moment by taking photographs to be used on the university’s communication channels.

The last ten years has been an interesting journey at NMMU – for some it’s been challenging, for others, all part of a day’s work, but there’s no denying that a great deal has been achieved.

The team from Graduate and Student Placement

While giving some input into a yet-to-be-released celebratory publication commemorating NMMU’s first decade, it struck me just how much we have achieved in this short period of time. From our ground-breaking blended learning initiatives through to extensive community interaction, our comprehensive university is positively impacting on thousands of lives within and beyond the classroom.

We have pretty much cemented our name in the South African higher education landscape, and even internationally to a certain extent. We have empowered students, seen them graduate, built state-of the-art buildings, formed research chairs and worked with industry. We’ve established a set of values to live by, increased our research outputs and continue to work towards our vision of being “a dynamic African university recognised for its leadership in generating cutting-edge knowledge for a sustainable future”.

Science Faculty staff are all fingers!

Colleagues on the 17th floor of the tower block

We’ve had fun together – remember the 2010 Soccer World Cup? And we’ve cried together - saying farewell to our namesake. But all in all, we have stood together in building our new university.

Yes, I know many of you are thinking “what a load of nonsense, she doesn’t work where I work!” – but take a moment to reflect and I have no doubt that you will be proud of what we have done.

So wear that T-shirt with pride and continue to turn dreams into reality.

Faculty of  Engineering, the Built Environment and IT

View the T-Shirt Tuesday photos

Meeting the maths challenge

Maths was never my strong point. But I recognised its importance and thankfully was blessed with great teachers, which meant I was able to comfortably pass maths in my final matric year.

Not so for the majority of South African learners, and especially those living in rural backwaters in the Eastern Cape. The province’s dismal maths results speak for themselves.

The national 2014 matric results for mathematics, mathematics literacy and physical science were worse than in 2013, and those results were even worse in our province, which has traditionally always trailed the rest of the country. In fact, we are bottom of the class on a global scale.

Ouch! I cry.

Opportunity! cried Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU).

Yes, here’s an opportunity for the university to apply its research and give back to the society it serves.

So enter the Govan Mbeki Maths Development Unit (GMMDU) and a group of committed mathematicians who are determined to become part of the solution. They’ve been rolling out various initiatives aimed at both teachers and learners throughout our province for several years but are now able to seriously able to extend their efforts thanks to a R3.6-m donation from Old Mutual.

Seeking solutations ... Old Mutual's Nceba Papuma and Marshall Rapiya,
 and NMMU's Prof Werner Olivier and Prof Andrew Leitch 

As a result, 18 rural high schools in the Bhisho area will receive a maths and science boost in the form of an extensive offline programme that is aligned to the national curriculum.

The two-year project using tablets and other technological aids is being run in collaboration with the province’s Department of Basic Education.

And that’s another big plus about this Maths and Science Development Project – it’s not about one group working in isolation but about various players coming together to seek solutions. It’s about each one playing its part and working together to ensure that two plus two does not make five, but that it all makes sense.

Personally, this is the kind of research I enjoy best – real research offering real solutions.

About 2 500 learners from grades 10 to 12 will be assisted in this project – a drop in the ocean, but a start nonetheless.

The initiative recognises the education challenges that South Africa faces – under-resourced schools, teachers who lack the relevant maths and science skills and a lack of access to information. It’s a technology-based approach (this, after all, is the screenager generation) that offers lessons, science laboratory videos, old exam papers and self-tests. With each project that the GMMDU rolls out it makes improvements in its bid to better harness the potential of learners and ensure that their maths and science marks improve.

And while the learners are learning, NMMU will be learning too since it has a PhD project on the go examining the use of tablets and their impacts in terms of the expectations of modern learners.

Surely this is a win-win situation?

The proof will come with time - with the matric results.

Triple the joy

Only the cream-of-the-academic-cream is awarded the prestigious Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. These are the youngsters who not only get straight A’s for their final matric marks, but are among the top academic achievers in the country. An average of 85% should do it.

An average of 85.1% did it for Deon Beauzec – just.

Yes, that’s how clever the 25 Vice-Chancellor’s Scholars are …

But few are likely to be as kind as Deon who has opted to share his R82 742-a-year bursary with his sibling, Michael, especially since the twin brothers and their parents do not have the means to fund their studies.

Michael and Deon Boezec

Deon’s windfall will now cover both boys’ tuition as they tackle a three-year BSc Chemistry degree.

Besides, Michael’s average mark for matric was none too shabby either at 83.5%.

And, according to Deon, his brother might have beaten him. It’s as they have done throughout their school careers – shared academic awards or taken it in turns to outdo the other.

“Not for one moment did I think about keeping it for myself. We have never competed. We just try to support one another,” says Deon.

This is also why the boys forewent their favourite past-time of soccer in 2014 so that they could concentrate on their studies as they were both hoping to find spots at a medical school.

Sadly, for them, they were not accepted.

Fortunately for us, both boys can pursue a degree and then be first in the queue for the new general medical practitioner degree that NMMU hopes to begin in 2018. (The university has already introduced a number of medically-related programmes as part of its ‘bottom-up’ approach to establishing a fully-fledged Medical School by 2020 – but more of this in subsequent blogs).

“We’d like to study medicine here. After we heard about the approach, we’re keen on enrolling for medicine here.”

That approach is one of building a medical school that responds to the real needs of South Africa, particularly within the public health domain.

And both boys are set on serving society.

It’s just who they are.

Like their sisters, Bianca, who is a teacher at an underprivileged township school, and Simone, who works as a radiographer in a state hospital, they are intent on helping others.

“It’s not something that can be taught. It’s just been a way of life for us,” says Michael.

So not only are these boys brainy. They’re kind too. And they’re committed to being part of the solution when it comes to health care in South Africa.

That's triple the joy for us!

The secret for a successful stay at university

Guest blogger ... NMMU student
Rashied Adams

You have just been admitted into a university and have a dream of becoming a teacher, scientist, lawyer, medical doctor, etc. The sad reality is that your dream could just remain a mere dream.

How does one succeed academically at university?

Firstly, establish the fact that your qualification you have registered for comes with promotion rules and criteria. Familiarise yourself with these rules and criteria from the word go; because it is possible to be academically excluded from your faculty.

What does this mean?

It means that if you have not passed a certain amount of modules for the year, you may not be allowed back into the programme the following year. These rules vary from university to university. You can get this information in your Faculty Prospectus or Faculty Yearbook.

Secondly, attend all lecturers – this is how you learn.

Thirdly, make notes in lectures, in a way that you understand. You can never make too many notes!

Fourthly, every evening at your residence before you retire for the day, just read once over the work you have covered for the day. It is as easy as that. This makes studying before the exams so much easier.

Fifthly, manage your time properly; have a schedule in your diary where you have time for studying, reading and assignments.

Lastly, take responsibility and know your primary reason for being at university – to get your qualification. Only you can make it happen!

Work hard, before you know it, you will be kneeling before the Chancellor on graduation day and your dream will become reality.

We’re ready to welcome you

You know when you’re expecting family and friends for Christmas or a special occasion and you spruce things, well, that’s what’s been happening here at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU).

We’ve hauled out the proverbial feather duster in preparation for about 5 800 new students and their families who will be attending the Welcoming Ceremony from 9am tomorrow.

If you’ve ever been part of a household spring clean you’ll know it requires more than a little elbow grease. In most cases, the annual purge of clutter and preparation also requires a sense of humour too.

The same can be said of NMMU’s preparations for its special visitors.

The Indoor Sports Centre at NMMU is awaiting all first-year students and their families

Elbow grease, a sense of humour … and a great big logistical plan (see below for venues) to ensure that all newcomers receive the welcome they deserve and the knowledge they need.

Since 5 800 students plus their parents do not fit into the NMMU Indoor Sports Centre (the usual venue for large events) on South Campus, the university has opened up much of its home elsewhere too.

Cleaning staff have prepared the many venues

So tomorrow, our special guests will find themselves spread throughout North, South, Second Avenue and George campuses where they will be welcomed by NMMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz (mostly via live streaming), and then their respective deans and faculty staff members.

Plants have been moved in, ceilings draped, sound and audio installed, publications printed, a PowerPoint made, speeches written, signage erected, desks and chairs cleaned, lawns moved and students trained (How2Buddies) all in readiness for the big day.

Staff from Magnetic Storm will be working at six  different venues

As much as it is a big day for NMMU – a chance to showcase ourselves to a wider audience – it’s an even bigger day for those who will be joining us as students. It’s a whole new season in their lives.

We want that new chapter to get off to the right start.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Venues for 2015 Welcoming Ceremony

The Welcoming Ceremony is from 9am to 10am.

The Deans’ Address and Faculty Meet and Greet sessions are from 10am to 12pm (directly after the Welcoming Ceremony).

The following faculties will be situated in the Vodacom NMMU Indoor Sport Centre, South Campus, for the Welcoming Ceremony:

· Faulty of Business and Economic Sciences

· Faculty of Education

The other faculties will have a live feed.

After the Welcoming Ceremony, the faculties will move to their breakaway venues.

FACULTY OF ARTS

They will be situated in the Second Avenue Auditorium, Second Avenue Campus as well as in venue 425 0003 for the Welcoming Ceremony and the Dean’s Address. They will split into the breakaway venues for the Faculty Meet and Greet.

Welcoming Ceremony: 09:00- 09:45

Dean’s Address: 10:00- 10:30

Refreshments: 10:30- 11:00

Students & parents to move to breakaway venues

Faculty Meet and Greet: 11:30- 12:30

Breakaway venues (all on 2nd Ave Campus):

BA General Remain in 2nd Avenue Auditorium

BA MCC 425 0003 (New venue)

Journalism 410 0003 (Y003)

Public Relations 411 0011 (Z011)

BAdmin & Public Management

Including degree and diploma 411 0015 (Z015)

BVA Bachelor of Visual Arts 410 0008 (Y008)

BAS Bachelor of Architectural Studies 411 0115 (Z115)

Dip Architectural Technology and

Dip Interior Design 411 0215 (Z215)

Music 411 0006 (Z006)

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

They will be situated in the Vodacom NMMU Indoor Sport Centre, South Campus for the Welcoming Ceremony. They will then move to Lecture Hall 123 venue 007 for the Dean’s Address and Faculty Meet and Greet:

Welcoming Ceremony: 09:00- 09:45

Students & parents to move to Lecture Hall 123

Dean’s Address: 10:30- 11:00

Refreshments: 11:00- 11:30

Faculty Meet and Greet: 11:30- 12:30

FACULTY OF LAW
They will be situated in Lecture Hall 123 venue 0002 for the Welcoming Ceremony, Dean’s Address and Faculty Meet and Greet.

Welcoming Ceremony (live streamed): 09:00- 09:45

Dean’s Address: 10:00- 10:30

Refreshments: 10:30- 11:00

Faculty Meet and Greet: 11:00- 12:00

FACULTY OF SCIENCE
They will be situated in South Campus Auditorium for the Welcoming Ceremony and Dean’s Address. They will split into the breakaway venues for the Faculty Meet and Greet.

Welcoming Ceremony (live streamed): 09:00- 09:45

Dean’s Address: 10:00- 10:30

Refreshments: 10:30- 11:00

Faculty Meet and Greet: 11:00- 12:00

Breakaway venues:

BSc Auditorium South Campus

Analytical & Polymer Technology 5 0003

Agriculture & Game Ranch Management 5 0007

Chemical and Process Technology 5 0005


FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES

They will be split into schools for the Welcoming Ceremony and Dean’s Address (South and North Campuses). They will be split further for the Faculty Meet & Greet.

Welcoming Ceremony (live streamed): 09:00- 09:45

Dean’s Address: 10:00- 10:30

Refreshments: 10:30- 11:00

Faculty Meet and Greet: 11:00- 12:00

Welcoming Ceremony & Dean’s Address:

Psychology 35 0040, South Campus

Social Development 35 0040, South Campus

Pharmacy and Higher Certificate in Pharmacy Support 12 0288 and 12 0264/65 South Campus

HMS 123 0026, South Campus

Sport Management 123 0026, South Campus

BSc Dietetics 123 0026, South Campus

Nursing 207 0101 (N2)

Emergency Medical Care (EMC) Senate Hall, North Campus

Biomedical Technology Conference Centre, North Campus Radiography Conference Centre, North Campus

Environmental Health Conference Centre, North Campus

Faculty Meet & Greet:

Psychology 35 0040, South Campus

Social Development 35 0027, South Campus

Pharmacy and

Higher Certificate in Pharmacy Support 12 0288 and 12 0264/65 South Campus

HMS 123 0026

Sport Management 35 0017

BSc Dietetics 35 0018

Nursing 207 0101 (N2)

Emergency Medical Care (EMC) Senate Hall, North Campus

Biomedical Technology 202 1020 (A120)

Radiography 202 0028 (A28)

Environmental Health 202 0027 (A27)

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
They will be situated in Goldfields Auditorium, North Campus for the Welcoming Ceremony and Dean’s Address. They will split into the breakaway venues for the Faculty Meet and Greet:

Welcoming Ceremony (live streamed): 09:00- 09:45

Dean’s Address: 10:00- 10:30

Refreshments (breakaway venues): 10:30- 11:00

Faculty Meet and Greet (breakaway venues): 11:00- 12:00

Breakaway venues (all North Campus):

Civil Engineering 261 0222 (M222)

Electrical Engineering New Engineering Venue – Auditorium

Industrial Engineering New Engineering Building – Sweat Lab

Mechanical Engineering 207 0001 (N1)

Mechatronics 204 0009 (C9)

Building 261 0154 (M154)

Construction Studies 204 116 (C116)

Construction Economics (Quantity Surveying) 261 0141 (M141)

School Of ICT Goldfields Auditorium, North Campus

FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES

They will be situated in the Vodacom Indoor Sports Centre, South Campus for the Welcoming Ceremony, Dean’s Address and Faculty Meet and Greet.

Welcoming Ceremony (live streamed): 09:00- 09:45

Dean’s Address: 10:00- 10:30

Refreshments: 10:30- 11:00

Faculty Meet and Greet: 11:00- 12:00

Making history … NMMU’s first summer graduation

Education graduates sisters Cindy-Lee and Lee-Ann Bosch

We made history today … that’s Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and some 400-plus students as they were capped at the university’s first summer graduation.

And what a happy occasion is was for 400 Education graduates and 30-odd postgraduate students who received their masters and doctoral degree.

The new summer graduation supplements the university’s traditional graduation ceremonies in April – and following today’s successful event, is very likely to become an annual event on the academic calendar.

No less than 63 staff members filled the stage, while the Indoor Sports Centre itself was almost filled to capacity to witness what South Africa desperately so needs (in large numbers) – qualified teaching graduates who are committed to the country’s future.

The Government might well have boasted an increase in the Grade 12 national senior certificate results in 2013 (over the previous years), but we all well know that the state of education in our country is not healthy.

I mean, 500 000 learners who start out in grade 1, don’t even get to their matric year, and those who do, only need a 30% or 40% pass mark for their various subjects to complete their schooling.

When compared with other countries the shortcomings of our own schooling system are even more obvious.

South Africa’s maths and science ranks second last in the world – not second last in Africa, but the world. According to the Global Information Technology Report of last year, only Yemen’s youngsters are worse than ours.

The facts speak for themselves.

Our schooling system is a mess. We are failing hundreds of youngsters.

That’s why today’s graduation is so special. Yes, it’s a first for us - a piece of NMMU history. But it’s these young men and women who have the opportunity to help create a new history for South Africa.

It’s a history in which our education system will produce learners who can read, write, solve mathematical and other problems and think critically. They won’t just scrape through with 30% or 40%, but get at least 50% for all their subjects. They’ll be our leaders and economic drivers of tomorrow.

BRIGHT FUTURE ... BEd FET graduates Jason Field, Anike Botha (a Vice-Chancellor's Scholar), Margaretha and Carla Steyn all completed their degrees cum laude  

We need dedicated teachers to achieve this – people who are committed to the cause of opening young minds to the wonders of knowledge; people who believe in the abilities of people; people who are not driven by lucrative financial jobs but by ideals …

To see 400-plus young men and women of all races graduate with Bachelor of Education degrees (in Foundation, Intermediate and Further Education and Training phase) and with a Postgraduate Certificate in Education or Honours, was gratifying because it signals hope for our future.

It indicates that there are those who recognise the importance of education and are prepared to put their hands up to help turn our present-day “F” into a “B+” or “A” in building a better tomorrow for all our children.



Congratulations to all our graduates!

Hear ye … calling all matrics

Calling all matrics ... don't procastinate

An antiquated “hear ye” is unlikely to do it, but we need to use whatever tactics, communication platforms or gimmicks we can to ensure matrics and other prospective students get the message.

That message:

• Applications to study at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in 2015 close on 5 December.

• Online applications close on 30 November

• Failure to get your name into the system by then means you are likely to miss out on the opportunity of joining us next year.

Please share this news. Call your friends, text them, nag them, do cartwheels, shout it from the rooftops at Plett Rage, but please, please, please ensure that they know that 5 December is the late application deadline.

Far too many matrics lose out every year because they naively wait until receiving their final marks. This is too late.

Indeed, many of the 450 programmes offered by NMMU are already full (see list below).

You need to apply now (it will cost you R360) if you are to give yourself any chance of studying at NMMU in 2015.

The University has already received more than 39 000 applications and provisionally accepted more than 7 000 students. NMMU can only take about 6 000 new first years.

You do the math.

You need to get into the system – with a provisional student number - by 5 December to give yourself any chance of becoming a Madiba next year.

Here are some pointers to help you with the application process:

· Download a form from our website (www.nmmu.ac.za), print it out, complete it and either fax it back or personally deliver it to the university by 5 December.

· You can go straight to online applications www.nmmu.ac.za/apply

· If you need further guidance call our contact center on 051 5041111.

The application process is such that you will receive a student number which you can track to see how far you are in the system.

Apart from meeting the deadline with all the right documentation (school marks, a copy of your ID etc.), you also need to be real about your marks. Don’t apply to study Pharmacy, for example, if your Admission Point Score (APS) is presently 10 points below what is required for that degree.

But whatever you do, do not delay.

Get your application into the system before 5 December.

And do not consider the following “full” programmers as your first choice:

1. ND: Inventory and Stores Management

2. ND: Public Management

3. BTech: Public Management

4. ND: Agricultural Management

5. ND: Nature Conservation

6. ND: Agricultural Management Extended

7. BTech: Agricultural Management (George Campus)

8. BTech: Nature Conservation

9. BTech: Forestry (Full-time)

10. BTech: Radiography

11. ND: Logistics (Full-time)

12. BPharm

13. ND: Engineering: Civil

14. HCert: Business Studies

15. BTech: Management (Full-time)

16. ND; Forestry Extended

17. ND: Information Technology: Software Development

18. Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)

19. ND: Logistics Extended

20. ND: Sport Management

21. ND: Game Ranch Management (George Campus)

22. Bachelor of Radiography (Brad)

23. ND: Human Resource Management (Full-time)

24. ND: Human Resource Management Extended


ND stands for National Diploma; BTech is the equalivalent of degree - your fourth year after completing a diploma; HCert is Higher Certificate and B is for Bachelor (a degree).

We look forward to welcoming you to NMMU next year … just get those applications in.

The long-awaited history of EC heroines

CELEBRATING STRONG WOMEN ... A glimpse of the exhibition panels that tell the fascinating stories of  Eastern Cape heroines

When I was at school, I hated history. It all just seemed to be about meaningless wars and expeditions in distant times and places. And dates, dates, dates. I dropped it as soon as I could.

But, as an adult, I’ve developed a love for past events, a curiosity for finding out why things happened – and I’ve discovered incidents and people far more interesting than the dreary textbook stuff we were force-fed at school.

Guest blogger Nicky Willemse

I was recently asked to edit the panels for NMMU’s upcoming exhibition, titled “The role of women in the shaping of Eastern Cape history”. I was educated, to say the least, reading about the achievements (often against all odds) of strong women from the late 1700s to the last century.

And I had a lightbulb moment.

I realised that in all the years of history I had to endure at school, the heroes profiled were men. In my junior school in Pietersburg/Polokwane (in the heart of Voortrekker country), we learned ad nauseum about the achievements of Jan van Riebeek, Piet Retief, Andries Pretorius, Andries Potgieter and others. Later, in Port Elizabeth, I was introduced to Bartholomew Dias, Vasco de Gama, Rufane Donkin.

All white men – at my white schools (I finished school in ’93).

Black leaders like Shaka and Dingaan were included too, but more as anti-heroes, conquests of the Brits and the boers.

At high school (Standard 6 and 7), history went overseas to World Wars and ongoing Middle-East conflict. But again, there was never a mention of any heroine.

Reading the panels was an eye-opener. How much more interesting history would have been had these women been included? People like Mary Elizabeth Barber, Nontetha Nkwenkwe and Yetta Barenblatt. No, of course, you haven’t heard of them.

Mary, a settler, was the Eastern Cape’s first botanist. She even used to exchange ideas with Charles Darwin. He even thanked her for her assistance in one of his publications.

Nontetha Nkwenkwe faded into obscurity because the government at the time was threatened by her and had her confined to one mental hospital after another, until she eventually died in isolation. There was nothing wrong with her, other than the fact that she was trying to make sense of a world where her long-held Xhosa traditions were being wiped out by colonisation. She did this by starting a church in the 1920s which preached a synthesis of Christian and Xhosa spirituality – she was influential and had a large following. And so she was locked up.

Industrialisation in the Eastern Cape brought with it the establishment of factories, which were filled with women. First white women, then coloured and later black women. Factories brought with them the trade unions, and many strong (but socially repressed) women suddenly had a voice, and they made it political. Irish-born Yetta Barenblatt was a skilled union negotiator in East London who would later become secretary of the Congress of Democrats and be detained during the 1960 State of Emergency.

I purposely chose these women, because they have faded into obscurity, but there are others profiled in the exhibition who are better-known: Saartjie Baartman, Dora Nginza, Molly Blackburn. Their stories are just as fascinating.

There are equally fascinating true tales of prostitution, assault and murder – real page-turning stuff. How could I ever have thought history dreary?

I know South Africa’s history textbooks have changed. I haven’t seen them, but I can only hope that they include some of the stories of these amazing women, who were working against the grain in strongly-patriarchal times (which we have not completely overcome yet).

These are stories that must be told.

• The exhibition – which includes factual and anecdotal information, poetry and photographs on 18 attractively-designed, ceiling-high panels – is on public display in the Archive Exhibition Centre on NMMU’s Second Avenue Campus, from Tuesday (25 November) to November next year.

'I met the developer'

Formulation Science students (from left) Mcquillan Moyo, Sindisiwe Bala, Angel Magudulela, Michelle Jacobs, Wesiwe Stephen, Ndumi Koza, Nandipa Nelani, Asanda Sihewula, Cloudius Sagandira

It astounds me what students come up with when no-one is watching. They develop products such as surface cleaner, wood oil preservative, environmentally friendly varnish, novel plasticisers, headlamp restorers and hair products.

Guest blogger Roslyn Baatjies

Talking to each of the product developers at the BSc (Hons) Formulation Science product exhibition, I learned how passionate they are about the course and their final product. For some of them, perfection is the only option, and they will further develop the products.

The entire setting was professional - from how they were dressed, to their presentation table to having product samples and flyers available. They knew their product – they developed it after all – and answered all the questions about it; and added additional information.

Not many of us would bring automotive paint and the eucalyptus tree together. That is exactly what Plascon employee Ndumi Koza did. Her product, Bio plasticizer EUCITREE, is non-toxic, environmentally friendly, it improves inter-coat adhesion between paint film and prevents the automotive paint from chipping. The mother of two says the journey has been challenging; yet rewarding.

Made from essentials oils like geranium and tea tree Zimbabwean student Mcquillan Moyo’s McClean surface cleaner is a one-stop kitchen hygiene solution. He explained to me that the product distinguishes itself from others because the essential oils inhibits the growth of bacteria; thus disinfecting the surfaces.

In her research, Michelle Jacobs asked if people ever get annoyed by the smell of paint and how sure they are that the paint they apply to their walls and trims is safe for the family. Keeping the safety aspect in mind she developed a superior quality varnish for interior use. Easy to apply with a glossy durable finish and no odour, it makes it suitable for all interior wood surfaces.

And as I listened to Sindisiwe Bala, Angel Magudulela, Wesiwe Stephen, Nandipa Nelani, Asanda Sihewula and Cloudius Sagandira explain their products to me, I realised that if they keep it up they are headed for the big time.

I tried to get samples of the products but left with nothing because they were watching. But when I see it on the shelves in the future, I will be able to say “I met the developer”.

Kicking failure into touch – and remembering Ubuntu

ALUMNI ACHIEVERS … The winners at NMMU’s annual Alumni Awards evening on Monday were (from left) Dr Amber Anderson, Dr Hanningtone Gaya, Nomkhita Mona, Baxolile Mabinya, Nicholas Hafner, Deon Schoeman, Tracy Cheetham and Garret Barnwell.

By Guest Blogger (Nicky Willemse)

This week, NMMU celebrated the cream of its alumni crop – those who have graduated from the institution and gone on to achieve great things.

People like South African cricket coach Russell Domingo, Tracy Cheetham, who manages SKA SA (Square Kilometre Array South Africa), the biggest science project in the world, wine guru Nicholas Hafner and Dimension Data’s Baxolile Mabinya, who is the group’s strategy director for the Middle East and Africa.

Then there was author Isla Morley, Coca-Cola Fortune’s HR exec Dr Amber Anderson, the president of the South African Association of Doctors Without Borders, Garret Barnwell, Kenyan brand and marketing authority, Dr Hanningtone Gaya, and the founder of Klinicare Pharmacies, Deon Schoeman. And one of last year’s winners, Safcol CEO Nomkhita Mona, was also in town to belatedly collect her award.

It was a glittering event with speeches galore – some short, some (a tad) long, some clever, some humorous.

But in the speeches, there were two common threads – and that’s what really stood out most for me.

The first was that a number of these top achievers had experienced failure along the line. In fact, three of them were hauled over the coals as university students for dismal marks and told to buck up or get out. Deon’s pharmacy lecturer, appalled at Deon’s 19% for a test, told him he wasn’t a “pharmacist’s backside”. Tracy’s told her she had to improve her marks or get kicked out of architecture, while Isla’s lecturer called her essay a “howler” – when she asked what he meant, he said it was so bad, it had made him howl with laughter.

They could have lost heart, fallen out the system, tried something else (as other students have probably done). Instead, they chose to prove their lecturers wrong – and have gone on to excel beyond their lecturers’ and, more importantly, their own expectations.

For these three individuals, those comments marked a turning point in their lives, where they shifted gear from mediocre to excellent.

A little bit of failure can work wonders.

The other thread that stood out was the spirit of Ubuntu. Just about all the recipients thanked those in their lives who had helped them get to where they are today. Many recited the Ubuntu philosophy: I am because you are.

Their achievements are not theirs alone. They are the result of the endless support of parents, spouses, lecturers – and their awards are an indication not just of the talent of the recipients, but the talent of the people and places that have “grown” them.

Congratulations to all.

And as you go forward, “just believe” (to quote the catchy mantra of Computing Science’s Prof Jean Greyling, as recounted by award recipient Baxolile).

Just believe … in yourself, in your ability, in the things that keep you going forward (your faith, family, friends, colleagues – all the things you mentioned in your speeches) – and keep making your alma mater, city, region and country proud.

Planes, flying dinosaurs and feathered “cameramen”

HIGH FLYERS ... NMMU marketing and corporate relations staff flew to Sun City today for the Marketing, Advancement and Communication in Education (MACE) Conference.

By Guest Blogger (Nicky Willemse)

A whole bunch of staff from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s marketing and corporate relations team boarded the 6.10am flight to Joburg this morning, en route to Sun City for this year’s Marketing, Advancement and Communication in Education (MACE) Conference.

One of them was particularly nervous about the flight, which got me thinking about flying in general. I’m super-relaxed about flying (I even enjoy a bit of turbulence) but it does still baffle me that these massive machines are able to defy gravity and travel through the sky.

Though I write dozens of articles about science, my brain is more wired to English than engineering, and the technology that enables man to fly is nothing short of a modern miracle (well, to me, at least).

While I was contemplating modern flight, I couldn’t help calling to mind an article I wrote recently on ancient flight – or, rather, one of the earliest fliers – which one of NMMU’s scientists recently helped to put back in the sky.

Archaeopteryx, a 150-million-year-old prehistoric bird, was long thought to be the first flying bird. A fossil of the bird was discovered in Germany way back in 1861. It had feathers similar to a bird, but teeth, claws and a long bony tail like a reptile, so was widely accepted as evidence of the evolutionary transition from reptiles to birds.

But then in 2010, two British scientists produced a paper which said the early bird couldn’t fly after all. They said its main feather shaft would have been too weak for powered flight.

But NMMU’s Prof Theagarten “Solly” Lingham-Soliar, a biomechanist-palaeontologist, has put paid to this theory. He believes the foam core (essentially air-filled cells) that forms the central shaft of all flight feathers in birds was crucial to the increased strength of the feather shafts in Archaeopteryx, which were slightly thinner than those of modern birds.

“The principle of the foam is to take bending stresses but without the weight of a solid … Mechanical tests by many of the top physicists, including most recently, German scientists Ingrid Weiss and Helmet Kirchner [from the Liebniz Institute of New Materials in Saarbrucken, Germany] show that the foam core absorbs 96% of the load (buckling) imposed on the feather during flight.

“It probably wouldn’t have been the best of fliers but rather shows the beginnings of flight,” said the Prof.

So Archaeopteryx has recaptured the sky once again.

Archaeopteryx, the early bird that theorists in 2010 said couldn't fly. 

This got me thinking about modern birds and how scientists are conducting research related to their flight.

NMMU’s Dr Pierre Pistorius, a senior lecturer in Zoology, is running a long-term monitoring programme on the Cape gannets on Bird Island. As part of this project, tiny video cameras have been attached onto the backs of the birds to see how they observe and interact with their environment.

He hopes the video footage will enable a better understanding of these birds, and also provide some insight into why this particular population of Cape gannets (which is the largest population of this species in the world) is growing, while other populations are declining.

So scientists are able to tag along for the flight, thanks to this cutting edge technology.

Planes, the first bird, modern technology wired up to modern birds … all pretty amazing really.

Where will flight be a century from now? And how will scientists be conducting research relating to flight? Just the thought of all this, and the possibilities that no doubt are just waiting to be discovered, baffles this non-engineering mind even more!

Cape gannets on Bird Island

‘Let’s nationalise umtarara’

Beyond the Classroom Alice winners Tamzin Lewis, Callyn Bowler and Velma Mora

Yes, you read it correctly. The word is umtarara. But you won’t find it in the dictionary. And yet, our boss man, the university’s vice-chancellor, Prof Derrick Swartz, wants to nationalise the phrase.

And all with good reason too.

For getting “off your umtarara” (a made-up word for getting up and doing something about something rather than simply complaining), is what will change this beautiful country of ours.

It’s what the university’s Beyond the Classroom graduates (BtC) at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Univeristy (NMMU) do – they change lives.

They change their own lives, and very often they change the lives of others too.

This staff, sponsors and the 280 graduates of this year’s programme learnt at the annual end-of-the-programme graduation breakfast held at Bayworld.

“You epitomize the philosophy of how the little things together can change the world,” a proud Prof Derrick Swartz shared.

“You have something great going here … the best plan is to ignite the flame in everyone so that they can turn the world around. We now have the responsibility of challenging others to get of their umtararas.

“I need to speak to my friend, Trevor Manual. We needed to nationalize this phrase!” he laughed.

The voluntary leadership programme which started in 2009 with 29 students, introduces the university’s young people to the requirements of leadership in a practical, ethical way through a variety of workshops and via 20 hours of community service.

Many students sign up recognising that the extra-curriculum year-long programme will be good for their CVs, but graduate realising that the benefits extend far beyond a piece of paper. The programme changes them – often taking them from a “me to we” mindset (to quote Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makhoba) in the way they now view the world.

And more importantly, their input benefits others.

Their stories are a testament to that change - from the R1 for five project in which each student collected R1 from five friends to jointly raise R4943 for the Reach for a Dream foundation through to two residence students’ commitment to feeding hungry fellow students.

It was the latter initiative by third-year psychology students Tamzin Lewis and Velma Mora to shop, cook and feed others on a daily basis, along with the outreach to Motor Neuron sufferers and their families by another psychology student, Callyn Bowler, that saw all three of them win the Alice award. (They also received R2 500 each to give to a charity of their choice … which had one in tears – joyful tears - simply because it meant she now had the means to help these students with food through the university holidays).

The Alice (A Little  Involvement Changes Everything) award goes to the student who goes above and beyond when it comes to the community outreach section of the programme.

Beyond the Classroom graduates and their mentors

When we attend functions like this, we are inspired, encouraged and excited about our future. Here we have youngsters who look beyond the me to the we; those who get off their umtararas and make a difference.

And now perhaps I should get off my umtarara and find out what it takes to get a new word into the South African dictionary; a word that exemplifies just what this country needs – a great move of the umtarara!

Well done to the BtC class of 2014, you make us proud!

“What is the purpose of my knowledge if I can’t put it to use for good?”

By guest blogger Nicky Willemse (left)

Earlier this week, I was feeling a little cross the world, a little sad about what we as people do to each other, our capacity for violence, evil.

My spirits lifted on Thursday (30 October), when I attended a breakfast celebrating five years of the university’s top scholarship. 

Initiated by the Vice-Chancellor himself, the Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship goes to top matriculants, paying out R75 600 for each year of study of an undergraduate degree, provided recipients achieve first-class passes.

So far, it’s been awarded to 80 deserving recipients.

What I liked about the breakfast was that Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz didn’t just sing their praises (for which he would have been forgiven) but instead reminded them about the difference people like them can and should make in society.

Prof Swartz reminded the students just how privileged they were, not least for being among the less than 2% of the population that actually walks through “the hallowed doors of university”.

And then he challenged them to use the knowledge they were gaining at NMMU not just to have great lives with great wealth, but to do something meaningful with it, to change the world for the better.

It was a valid challenge as not only are these students top academic achievers, but they’re also being groomed as future leaders through a mentorship and leadership programme tailor-made for them by the university, run with passion and enthusiasm by staff member Elize Naude.

Much has been invested in them – and much is expected of them.

“What are you going to use this knowledge for?” asked Prof Swartz of the VC’s Scholars. “There is more to this journey of life than ‘me and my own interests’. There is something greater about why we are living, a greater purpose. I want you to think individually about that greater purpose you want to serve.

“Knowledge is schizophrenic in a sense. It can be harnessed for the power of good or it can be put to bad use. Virtually any new discovery has contradictory effects, for example nuclear energy can be used to advance medicine or to create weapons … How will you best use your knowledge to hopefully change the world to a better place?

“We live in a society where there is violence, poverty, unemployment … There must be something wrong, which we have to fix. We need people who will fix it, people like you … We need to create a more equal, more just, more inclusive world.

“You need to ask yourself: What is the purpose of my knowledge if I can’t put it to use for good?

Prof Swartz then invited students to share what they intended to do to change the world. Commerce student Bongeka Mbonisweni said she wants to empower young black girls in rural communities to become top leaders.

Law student Chante Baatjes wants to join the United Nations to put an end to human rights violations and war crimes. Another Law student Adrian van Wyk spoke about the butterfly effect and how small changes can have great effects.

“If one wants to live the value of humility, without having the pressure to step in and lead the world, do something small or special that has great effect.”

Education student Anika Botha said: “I want to use my degree to somehow eliminate the fear learners have for maths, and build confidence in my learners the way this programme has built confidence in me.”

There were more responses, and I sat there inspired and hopeful that this crazy, mixed up, messy, sad (and yet, still beautiful) world would be a little brighter.

I hope they remember their promises – and honour them.

What greater aspiration than to be a change-maker, for good?

CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE … Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz (back, middle) with Elize Naude (front, left), coordinator of the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship mentorship and leadership programme, celebrate five years of the scholarship with a recipient from each of the past five years (back, from left) second-year LLB student Xhanti Mtulu, BCom Hons graduate Timothy Olls, one of the first recipients and now a trainee at PwC, and (front, from left) first-year BSc student Kalyn Beach, third year BCom (CA) student Bongeka Mbonisweni and fourth-year BPsych student Rachael Williams.