Feature Article (Main Article on NWU News Page)

NWU’s corporate publications shine in national competitions

The corporate publications of the North-West University (NWU) have excelled in this year’s South African Publication Forum competition.

It is a proud achievement for the university in its pursuit of excellence. In addition to receiving two certificates of excellence, two wins, a runner-up position, and two special mentions, the corporate publications also produced five finalists in four categories.

Submitted on Thu, 11/21/2024 - 08:23

North-West University expertise addresses catastrophic teacher shortfall

Thirty-one thousand. That is the conservative estimate of the current teacher shortage in South Africa. Classrooms are overcrowded, with ballooning learner-to-teacher ratios, especially in rural and under-resourced schools. This severely impacts dropout rates and education quality.

This is not where the woes of future learners end. It is estimated that nearly half the teaching workforce will retire within the next decade, meaning the demand for new teachers will only keep increasing.

Submitted on Thu, 11/14/2024 - 09:27

Nadia van Jaarsveldt wins big at international symposium

Nadia van Jaarsveldt, an Industrial Engineering student pursuing her master’s degree with a topic in agriculture, was recognised for her outstanding presentation at the South African Institute of Agricultural Engineers (SAIAE) and Pan African Society for Agricultural Engineering (PASAE) International Symposium 2024.

Held at the Houw Hoek Hotel in Grabouw, Western Cape, the symposium served as a landmark event. It ran from Wednesday, 23 October to Friday, 25 October, bringing together brilliant minds in agricultural engineering.

Submitted on Tue, 11/12/2024 - 09:44

North-West University Shines in Global Online Education Benchmarking

In an exciting accomplishment, the North-West University (NWU) has received global recognition for its excellence in online and technology-enhanced education through the prestigious 2023-2024 International Benchmarking Report. This remarkable achievement not only highlights the NWU's high standards but also sets a new bar for digital education worldwide, particularly in safeguarding personal data.

What is the International Benchmarking Initiative?

Submitted on Thu, 11/07/2024 - 14:18

Climatology conference highlights severity of climate change

It has happened. The world is 1,5 degrees Celsius warmer than it was in preindustrial times. A threshold has been breached, and the times they are a-changin’.

When Prof Francois Engelbrecht, president of the South African Society for Atmospheric Sciences (SASAS), opened the 38th Annual Conference of the South African Society for Atmospheric Sciences at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University (NWU), he did so in a sombre tone, even with a sense of disbelief. Because history has been made for the wrong reasons.

Submitted on Tue, 11/05/2024 - 15:05

NWU students receive awards at WaterNet symposium in Lesotho

Three students from the North-West University’s Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences received awards for their outstanding presentations and posters during this year’s symposium of the WaterNet/Water Research Fund for Southern Africa (WARFSA)/Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWP-SA).

Recent graduate Dr Luvhimba Tlhoaele and PhD students Keaobaka Precious Mahoko and Lawrence Sawunyama were honoured with awards during the event that took place in Maseru, Lesotho from 30 October to 1 November.

Submitted on Tue, 11/05/2024 - 11:07

What impact will the US election have on South Africa?

On Tuesday 5 November, Americans will cast their votes to elect the 47th president of the United States of America. The latest polls show that the current vice president and Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, has a slight, one point lead, with Republican and former president, Donald Trump, a very close second. This is a neck and neck race with no certain outcome, and the world waits to see who will lead the last global superpower from 2025 to 2029.

Submitted on Fri, 11/01/2024 - 12:38

Latest MTBPS outlines a new sense of economic direction

Given the fine budgetary line that still had to be walked by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, the first Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) of the Government of National Unity (GNU) comes across as a pragmatic, realistic and credible strategy to tackle South Africa’s challenges of low economic growth and high public debt again.

Submitted on Thu, 10/31/2024 - 09:15

Olympic stars claim top sport awards

The North-West University’s (NWU) two Olympic superstars, Bradley Nkoana and Jo-Ané van Dyk, were back on the podium when they were presented with top sporting awards at NWU’s Potchefstroom Campus.

These two remarkable athletes are both the pride of the nation and the NWU after both bagged silver at the Olympic Games in Paris, France earlier this year. Jo-Ané won silver in the javelin at the Olympics, gold at the All-African Games in Ghana, gold at the African Championships in Cameroon and set a personal best of 64,22 m in the Olympic qualifying rounds.

Submitted on Mon, 10/28/2024 - 09:56