Located on the roof of building G5 at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Potchefstroom Campus, the solar telescope of the Centre for Space Research has garnered attention from organisations such as the BBC and the Royal Astronomical Society.

Dr Ruhann Steyn, senior lecturer and principal scientist involved in the project, recently attended the National Astronomy Meeting in Cardiff, Wales, where he was commended for the outstanding work done by the Centre for Space Research.

While debates about the quality of teacher education intensify, the North-West University (NWU) is exploring solutions, including mixed reality, that will ensure that well-prepared and effective teachers enter the country’s classrooms.

The recent findings of the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), indicating that 81% of South Africa’s Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning, have reignited the debate about the quality of pre-service teacher preparedness in the education sector.

Many studies have found a strong correlation between learners’ discipline levels and academic performance, with the latter improving as discipline levels improve. However, what is the role that parents play in disciplining their children?

The research unit for Education and Human Rights in Diversity (Edu-HRight) recently organised a significant discourse in collaboration with the Legal Perspectives, Governance and Democracy research subarea and the Education Law subject group at the North-West University (NWU).

By Menziwa Msibi

Representatives from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Education and Human Rights in Diversity (Edu-HRight) research unit, recently embarked on a visit to the University of Crete in Greece to strengthen the two institutions’ longstanding research partnership.

Prof Charl Wolhuter, Prof Ewelina Niemczyk and Prof Johan Botha also participated in the TASTstrategy Conference on Education, aimed at addressing the prevalent issue of skills mismatch between education and employment.

The African Nutrition Leadership Programme (ANLP) of the North-West University (NWU) is continuing its aim to build tailored leadership capacity on the African continent.
Representatives of the ANLP engaged with the Lesotho Nutrition-Sensitive Platform (LSNP) in Maseru on 15 and 16 June. This follows a leadership capacity building visit to Nigeria earlier in the year (to read more, visit: Impact of nutrition project continues through leadership development | news.nwu.ac.za).

The quest for more sustainable and greener coal energy is receiving a boost through the National Research Foundation’s (NRF) renewal of the Chair for Coal Research at the North-West University (NWU).

The chair has secured funding of R4,15 million per year for the next five years as part of the NRF’s South African Research Chairs initiative (SARChI). This adds up to more than R20 million over the full period.

Parasites. Just uttering the word may send shivers down the spine, conjuring up images of rapidly proliferating organisms devouring or destroying other species. A celebrated researcher from the North-West University (NWU) hopes to change those perceptions.

Credited with playing a crucial role in global conservation efforts to protect parasites, Prof Nico Smit is from the NWU’s Water Research Group in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. He aims to ensure that some of the parasites found on endangered species do not end up like their hosts – facing extinction.

Prof Elias Munapo from the North-West University (NWU) is a National Research Foundation- (NRF-) rated researcher – not a simple achievement for academics with major teaching and supervisory obligations.

His research interests are the use of mathematics and statistics in business. In 2022 he obtained his first C3 rating as a researcher. He joined the NWU in 2016 and feels that the path to an NRF rating is a contentious subject that is determined by an academic's preferences.

The Technology Transfer and Innovation Support (TTIS) Office of the North-West University (NWU) is leading the charge in ensuring that innovation remains at the forefront of its activities and across all spheres of the institution.