By Gofaone Motsamai and Phenyo Mokgothu
Spearheading curriculum change, empowering educators to use decolonial syllabi and engaging students as critical thinkers and change agents is the mission of the new Centre for Teaching Excellence and Curricular Engagement (CTECE) at the North-West University.
The new centre, marking the university’s commitment to redefining education in the Faculty of Humanities, was launched at Mmabatho Palms Hotel and streamed online on 8 May 2025.
Addressing academics, students and community members, Professor Mpho Chaka, deputy dean for teaching and learning, described the centre as “a base where pedagogy meets purpose”.
Referring to the CTECE as “an academic heartbeat” of the NWU, he said it is more than an administrative entity. “We are here not just to launch a centre, but to ignite a revolution in teaching and learning,” he said. “This centre will empower educators to teach fearlessly through decolonial syllabi, digital repositories of marginalised voices and pedagogies that interrogate power while striving for social change.”
Prof Chaka highlighted the research of scholars Prof Toyin Falola and Prof Hopeton Dunn in shaping the centre's academic vision. He cited Prof Falola's work on decolonial African studies, describing the classroom as a space for intellectual emancipation. “A syllabus is a political document,” Prof Chaka said, emphasising the centre’s mission to reclaim African epistemologies.
Prof Dunn's research on digital equity and media policy also influenced the centre's goals, particularly his advocacy for bridging the digital divide and preparing for the Fourth and Fifth Industrial Revolutions. “Our curriculum must dissolve boundaries between disciplines, between experts and communities, between the analogue and digital,” Prof Chaka said.
The CTECE aims to renew the curriculum in ways that are globally dialogic while remaining rooted in African relevance. It seeks to empower educators through workshops, student-led teaching labs and experience-based learning. It also encourages co-designed engagements where students actively participate in shaping pedagogical approaches.
Prof Chaka urged the NWU academic community to disrupt, connect and transform. “Let us teach with excellence, as NWU expects. Let us prepare boldly for tomorrow’s uncertainties. And let us ensure that our students not only think critically but also shine as agents of change within and beyond the university.”
