Human Interest

Prof Linda du Plessis shares insights at Global Education Summit

Prof Linda du Plessis, deputy vice-chancellor for planning and Vanderbijlpark Campus operations at the North-West University (NWU), recently graced the stage at the Global Education Summit 2023 (GES-2023) at Chandigarh University in Gharuan, India.

The two-day summit, titled “India: Voice of Global South”, focused on promoting inclusiveness and international collaboration in higher education, with academics from 30 countries participating.

Submitted on Wed, 10/18/2023 - 10:21

Growth-friendly policies should be implemented urgently

In commenting on the latest South African Reserve Bank (SARB) monetary policy review, Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, says it is now more urgent than ever to implement growth-friendly policies and projects.

The SARB’s comprehensive monetary policy review confirmed that both global and domestic economic trends are likely to keep borrowing costs high for longer, perhaps well into 2024.

Submitted on Wed, 10/18/2023 - 09:17

Student Leadership Summit serves as guiding compass

The first-ever North-West University (NWU) Student Leadership Summit held on 6 October 2023 at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre witnessed the participation of more than 150 students representing various student leadership structures from all three campuses.

The theme, "Navigating your journey", served as a guiding compass throughout the summit, emphasising the significance of goal setting, planning, and progress tracking in one's personal and professional life.

Submitted on Wed, 10/18/2023 - 08:20

From law books to lookbooks – a toast to future advocates at the final-year farewell dinner

The journey of a law student is undoubtably challenging and short, and their time at the North-West University (NWU) has prepared them for the opportunities and obstacles that lie ahead.

Having arrived here a few years ago, they are about to leave and embark on different journeys to try and find appropriate solutions to the issues the global community is currently facing.

On Thursday evening, 12 October, the Faculty of Law hosted a farewell dinner with the theme “Law as a superpower” for the final-year students.

Submitted on Tue, 10/17/2023 - 10:18

Donors’ event highlights the plight of postgraduate students and the “missing middle”

The North-West University (NWU) hosted a donors' event in Sandton, Johannesburg on 5 October 2023 to reach out to its various donors, bringing them up to date with what is happening at the university and to discuss the dilemma of the “missing middle”.

A recurring theme at the event was the challenge faced by "missing middle" students. The parents of these students earn too much to qualify for funding from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), yet they can't afford to pay for their children’s education.

Submitted on Tue, 10/17/2023 - 08:56

Students and industry leaders talk about the future of accounting

The School of Accounting Sciences at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus recently brought together representatives from major accounting and audit firms and students to talk about the future of the accountancy profession in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

The event, led by senior lecturer and chartered accountant Kurt Naicker, was attended by more than 500 students in their second and third year of studies in chartered and financial accountancy.

Submitted on Mon, 10/16/2023 - 12:29

Students and academic to show their mettle in China

Dr Japie Greeff, deputy director of the School of Computer Science and Information Systems at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus, will be leading four NWU students to take part in a BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) initiative in China.

The students will take part in two skills competitions and Dr Greeff will be one of the judges.

The first competition will focus on data analysis and visualisation, and the second on machine learning and big data.

Submitted on Mon, 10/16/2023 - 12:27

Students excel at annual Geekulcha Hackathon

The Geekulcha student chapter on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus recently participated in the annual Geekulcha Hackathon at UNISA’s Pretoria Campus, and two teams – Code Blooded and What’s next – made it into the top 10.

The annual hackathon challenges developers, digital practitioners, data enthusiasts, economic policymakers, and others to create solutions that help Africa to define and live up to the next African Digital Narrative and make people’s lives easier through technology.

Submitted on Mon, 10/16/2023 - 11:39