As an expert in computer-integrated education and digital learning, Prof Mmankoko Ziphorah Ramorola firmly believes that, since learners in the 21st century are technology-savvy, they absolutely cannot be taught in the same way as learners before them. Whereas the children of today are – so to speak – born with digital competence, the same cannot be said about their teachers. This reality poses serious challenges in the contemporary classroom. Very few, if any, industries today can effectively separate their products and services from technology, and education is no exception.

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm and hard work and this the case for Dr Janine Chantson.

The inauguration of Dr Bismark Tyobeka as the third vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU) is the start of an exciting new journey for the university.

Dr Tyobeka, who started his five-year term as principal and vice-chancellor on 1 June 2022, was officially inaugurated on 26 August during a prestige event at the Feather Hill Hotel and Venue in Potchefstroom.

One thousand eight hundred participants and officials. Ninety-six teams. One North-West University (NWU), hosting the biggest Spar Netball Championships ever.

The Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds almost could not contain all the netball talent from 8 to 13 August, and the NWU once again proved that no tournament was too much for it.

The top teams competed in the Senior A division, battled in the under 21 championship, and a multitude of teams took part in various subdivisions.

He may be small in posture, but everybody knows he has an enormous spirit. Dr Ali Bacher, South Africa’s most famous cricket administrator, who at the age of 80 still enjoys global standing, this week visited the North-West University (NWU) to share enough life lessons and anecdotes to fill a number of books.

This guest lecture was hosted by the Faculty of Health Sciences and arranged by the Centre for Health and Human Performance, and man, it was interesting!

Where to start?

Dr Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), has been nominated to replace Dr Trevor Dudley as South-Africa’s representative on the Senior Industry Advisory Panel (SIAP) of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF). This forum was created in 2001 as an international body to develop research necessary to ensure the deployment of fourth-generation nuclear systems by 2030.

Dr Bismark, how does it feel to be nominated to serve on the SIAP of the GIF?

After having been selected for the first time in 2015, North-West University (NWU) academic Prof Klaus Beiter has been reappointed for a second term as one of 16 ambassadors to the global Magna Charta Observatory (MCO) in Bologna.

He is one of only three ambassadors from South Africa, the other two being a former vice-chancellor of a major university and the executive director of a private higher education operator.

Over the past few years, there were not nearly enough school-leaving applicants who met the minimum requirements for tertiary fields of study such as Engineering, Natural Sciences, Economic Sciences and Health Sciences. This is according to Elza Hattingh from the Faculty of Engineering at the North-West University (NWU). She heads the faculty’s Xcel programme – an initiative that offers a second chance to students who want to improve their previous Grade 12 Senior Certificate exam results in Mathematics and Physical Sciences.

To change the world, we must help people change how they see things, and if you want to see real change, stay persistent in educating humanity on how we are all more similar than different. When one reads this, the director of Academic and Office Solutions at the North-West University (NWU), Andiswa Msi, immediately comes to mind. When you walk into her office, her beaming smile and positive aura are a very welcome sight.

Andiswa grew up in Bhaziya, a village in Mthatha, in an education-oriented household surrounded by strong women.

A team of second-year students from the Faculty of Law on the Vanderbijlpark Campus of the North-West University (NWU) are this year’s winners in the popular annual NWU Juta Mock Trial competition that took place in Potchefstroom on 15 August.