South African teachers are battling acute stress as a result of their work environment. This is according to a recent Teaching and Learning International Survey (Talis) report.

The Talis survey gathers responses from teachers and school leaders to help countries address a variety of challenges. The report was released by the Department of Basic Education following a survey conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The survey revealed more than a quarter of teachers in the country have no desire to remain in the field.

“You are the engines of tomorrow” – Mr Craig Wing

The Technology Transfer and Innovation Support (TTIS) office at the North-West University (NWU) recently hosted a celebration event for NWU intellectual property (IP) creators.

The talent and creativity of students and graduates of the Graphic Design subject group at the North-West University (NWU) have earned them recognition at the recent international Loerie Awards and national Pendoring Awards events.

The NWU’s students and graduates have always shone in these competitions and this year is no exception. Their distinctive creativity and skills have impressed judges and secured them two silver Pendoring awards, a Pendoring craft gold certificate, three Pendoring craft certificates and a bronze Loerie award.

The National Press Club (NPC) held its post-Covid-19 relaunch on Thursday, 03 November at the iconic Pretoria National Botanical Gardens. Members of the NPC include news journalists, academics, entrepreneurs and members of society. It also comprises decision-makers and intellectuals who advance the South African discourse.

Zambia’s economy is built on mining, especially copper. Like all mining activities, copper mining has health risks associated with it. A shortage of formal occupational hygiene expertise and capacity can leave a void in the protection of miners from occupational diseases such as silicosis. A researcher at the North-West University (NWU) is aiming to make a difference by developing occupational hygiene capacity for Zambian mines.

Miracle workers who have to dig deep to find magical solutions to solve problems – this is how Prof Elmien Truter describes the social work students the North-West University (NWU) send into the communities.

Prof Truter, an associate professor in Social Work and a researcher at the research focus area Community Psychosocial Research (Compres) on the Vanderbijlpark Campus, said this after witnessing the second-year students declaring that they will adhere to the ethics and standards of their profession.

The principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), Dr Bismark Tyobeka, has called on graduates to be good ambassadors of the university and to brace up for the new challenges that may likely come their way. This was said during a recent graduation ceremony held at the Vanderbijlpark Campus.

Talking to a congregation that included graduates in various disciplines, their families and academic staff, Dr Bismark congratulated all graduates with their success and wished them well as they move on to a new chapter in their lives.

Second-year social work students from the North-West University (NWU) are annually gaining much needed practical experience by participating in mock trials.

This year second-year students from the NWU’s Vanderbijlpark Campus participated in a mock trial practical on 26 and 31 October 2022 at the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate Children’s Court.

Prof Elmien Truter, an associate professor from Social Work and researcher at the research focus area Community Psychosocial Research (Compres), says the idea to expose social work students to mock trials started around 2014.

Postgraduate students and researchers from the North-West University (NWU) won seven awards at the Southern African Institute for Occupational Hygiene’s (SAIOH’s) annual conference that took place from 26 to 28 October 2022 in Boksburg, and during the gala dinner the best students and research articles were awarded.

According to Prof Johan du Plessis, the director of the Occupational Hygiene and Health Research Initiative (OHHRI), no awards were given in 2019 and 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and therefore, this year awards were given for 2019, 2020 and 2021.

When South Africa was declared a democratic state in 1994, Prof Shan Simmonds was only 11 years old. Although she could recognise things changing around her, she could not understand the deeper discourses that infused these changes.

In her experience, a handful of black learners entered what had, up until that point, been a whites-only farm community school. The so-called handful soon grew in numbers and, contrary to what one might imagine, especially considering that the teaching staff remained unchanged, Prof Simmonds experienced no sense of racial divide or discrimination.