Page 5 - Research & Innovation Report 2020

VC’S FOREWORD

addressing healthcare concerns with a high impact on the Andre Keet, is driving the transformation agenda by grounding it
surrounding communities and the Eastern Cape. in critical studies and framing it within the concept of an African-
purposed curriculum. CriSHET’s strategy for strengthening research
The technology-intensive approach at the Medical School, includes the appointment of six honorary professors, seven visiting
including virtual or augmented reality visualisations of structures professors, two adjunct professors, 17 research associates and two
– from biomolecules to skeletons – offers a unique opportunity in professional associates, spanning a wide range of disciplines from
medical education research. around the world.

The role of technology has become more crucial than ever before In October 2020, Professor Johanna Botha from our Faculty
and the pandemic has significantly accelerated the University’s of Law was one of twelve global experts offering input at a
digital transformation trajectory as part of our quest to enhance seminar addressing state obligations in terms of the International
the agility and efficiency of our systems and processes. In light Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
of persistent inequalities in our country, it is imperative that we Furthermore, one of the new humanities chairs is the SARChI
address the digital divide through significant investments in Chair for African Feminist Imaginations, held by Professor Pumla
fostering a more equitable future for all, particularly those who Gqola from the Centre for Women and Gender Studies (CWGS).
have been historically marginalised and do not have access to The Chair promotes inter- and transdisciplinary studies to build an
mobile devices and internet connectivity. African research feminist hub in the Eastern Cape. The CWGS’s
mandate is to resuscitate all African women’s voices and histories
Researchers in our Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences have – workers, rural women, women in business, politics and the arts.
written a chapter on this which will appear in a book entitled Digital
Literacy, Inclusivity and Sustainable Development in Africa, to be Students hosted by the CWGS are being connected to maternal
published in 2021/22. Furthermore, the Centre for Community sociological knowledge and matriarchal history that was always a
Technologies (CCT) helped to develop the eReady ICT Maturity distinct feature of the African continent. Throughout the pandemic
Assessment tool to improve basic education. This is an easy to the CWGS has hosted seminars with scholars from all over the
download app designed to assess and evaluate the e-readiness of world. Acting Director of the CWGS, Dr Babalwa Magoqwana
public schools in South Africa. said: “To actively collaborate globally is one of the most beautiful
moments for us in this tragic time. We have literally experienced
Significant impact can be achieved through the leadership of the Centre going global.”
flagship programmes such as research chairs, entities and NRF-
rated researchers. Mandela University hosts 16 research chairs, and Another significant area of decolonisation and revitalising the
three of the most recently appointed chair holders are black, with humanities at Mandela University is the recentring of the African
two contributing to the revitalisation of the humanities, and the canon within curricula that have been dominated by Western
third linked to the Medical School. knowledge frameworks. The systematic erasure of African
knowledge traditions has stripped our society of values, self-
In ensuring that Mandela University serves as a powerful engine awareness and world views that need to be reawakened.
for building the kind of society we all wish to live in, it is key that
we advance decolonisation, transformation, and the fight against In the sciences, there is a pressing need to revitalise support for the
gender-based violence and racism. The Chair for Critical Studies basic sciences in our country, such as theoretical and computational
in Higher Education Transformation (CriSHET) held by Professor sciences research and training that is required for the Square

“The technology-intensive approach

at the Medical School, including virtual

or augmented reality visualisations of

structures – from biomolecules to skeletons
– offers a unique opportunity in medical

education research.”

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