Community Engagement

Understanding the impact of family structure on street children

A recent study conducted by Dr Karabo Mohapanele, a PhD graduate in sociology from the North-West University (NWU), sheds light on the crucial role of families in influencing children's behaviour and shaping their lives, and on how family dynamics and structure play a significant role in the emergence of street children in North West.

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NWU supports a day of fun and exercise for all ages

Members of the Ikageng community and representatives of the North-West University (NWU) took part in the Ikageng fun run on the overcast Saturday morning of 23 September.

The primary goal of the event was to bring together diverse communities, including people of all races, genders and those who have special needs, to create a welcoming environment.

Among the participants were Comrades Marathon duo heroes Dr Adele Broodryk and Mr Tete Dijana.

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Empowering high school learners through holistic wellness

Holistic wellness entails achieving a sense of well-being by balancing the physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual aspects of life. It is about recognising that these different areas are interconnected and that neglecting one can impact the others.

For high school learners, holistic wellness is crucial as it provides a foundation for healthy growth and development. When students are supported in all these areas, they are better equipped to navigate the challenges and pressures they face.

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Gender Awareness Week 2023 emphasises gender galaxy, diversity and inclusivity in an educational setting

The goal of the North-West University (NWU) to promote diversity and inclusion among students, staff and other stakeholders now includes Gender Awareness Week as a critical component.

Gender Awareness Week took place online and it was hosted by Dr Louise Postma, senior lecturer, and Dr Annamagriet de Wet, both from the Potchefstroom Campus. The campaign ran from 7 to 11 August across all three campuses of the university. The focus of the subject this year was the gender galaxy. The beginning of the week featured guest speakers who encouraged and educated the attendees.

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Hypertext poetry project is part of exhibition in Rome

The eight-year-old Byderhand project of the subject group Creative Writing at the North-West University has been selected to form part of an international hypertext creation exhibition that will take place in Rome soon.

“This is singular international recognition for the subject group Creative Writing, and particularly for the garden-verses arm of the Byderhand project in the Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden,” says Prof Bernard Odendaal.

Exhibition offers a glance at hypertext works of more than three decades

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Why the need to develop scarce accounting skills is abundantly clear

Without quality oversight, output suffers. Without transparency, deception thrives. Misinformation and misinterpretation are propagated to become the norm as fiction becomes indistinguishable from fact. In a developing country such as South Africa that faces a multitude of challenges, this cannot be allowed.

An example of this is an economy that is increasingly struggling to awake from a prolonged slumber caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, rolling blackouts and widespread corruption in institutions fundamental to the health of the country.

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Ensuring access to education is our imperative

How do we go about breaking the prevailing cycle of economic disparities and a lack of social cohesion, while promoting active citizenship, innovation and development as well as human capital development? By ensuring access to quality education for as many of our citizens as possible – which is part of the mission of the North-West University (NWU).

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Qualified nurses are a priority

The lack of qualified nurses is placing a stranglehold on the public health sector in South Africa, but through its commitment to bettering the lives of all South Africans, the North-West University (NWU) is helping to loosen this suffocating grip.

A recent study by the South African Nursing Council (SANC) estimates that there is only one nurse for every 218 patients in the country, with a need for tens of thousands more.

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Headline inflation shows welcome decline

Good economic news is that the consumer price index (CPI) (headline inflation) for July has again shown a welcome declining tendency, reaching 4,7% from 5,4% in June.

Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU), says this is not only a two-year low for the CPI but is also much better than market expectations.

“Core inflation further moderated to a ten-month low of 4,7% from 5,0% in June. The omens for the inflation outlook in South Africa look promising.”

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