Teaching the youth community-based research and transversal skills is a valuable investment in the future. It not only benefits the individual by providing practical skills and a sense of purpose, but also contributes to the growth and well-being of the community. This approach helps generate informed, engaged, and responsible citizens who can actively contribute to improving their communities.

In this spirit, the North-West University (NWU) hosted its first Youth Learning Festival at the Potchefstroom Campus on 18 August.

The fruits of an eight-year-long, arduous community endeavour are now evident in the Potchefstroom Hospital project. This undertaking has been consistently fuelled by the unwavering passion, dedication and commitment of the staff who have been involved since 2014. The roots of the project can be traced back to the BEdHons in educational psychology curriculum of the North-West University (NWU), which has a strong emphasis on practical community engagement in its modules.

University curricula must incite difficult conversations to meet today's challenges, and in recent years there has been a growing movement towards decolonising the education curriculum in South Africa. The question of “what knowledge is of most worth”, or “whose knowledge is of most worth” has been at the heart of this debate.

On Friday, 20 October, the Faculty of Education at the North-West University (NWU) launched the Centre for Higher Education Professional Development (CHEPD), and the Centre for African Language Teaching (CALT) – Setswana.

Clad in a variety of African cultural attires, distinguished speakers and esteemed guests descended on the beautiful Roots Café in Potchefstroom to witness the inauguration of the two centres.

As the world undergoes rapid technological and societal transformations, educational institutions face the urgent need to reimagine their teaching and learning methodologies.

In the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), an online open-access book titled Problem-based Learning and Pedagogies of Play: Active Approaches Towards Self-Directed is Learning explores active learning.

There can be no denying the strain placed on South Africa’s education system, even less so the mounting challenges facing the country’s youth, not to mention the teachers entrusted with ensuring their education.

The North-West University’s (NWU's) Unit for Continuing Education partnered with the Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA) to launch a solar technician training programme.

Taking place on the Vanderbijlpark Campus, this four-week programme aims to empower young and unemployed individuals. It equips them with work readiness skills, technical expertise, and hands-on experience regarding installing, maintaining and troubleshooting solar panels.

On 17 August, Professor Marius Smit from the Faculty of Education delivered his inaugural lecture, titled The symphony of seeds and harvest – harmonising the law, policy, and interventions to cultivate quality education.

In his lecture Prof Smit said that the harmonisation and proper robust application of the law, good policies and interventions can orchestrate an education system that will improve the quality of education in the country.

He illustrated this by highlighting the following points:

An inaugural lecture is regarded as a significant milestone in the life and career of an academic. It is a chance for new professorial colleagues to directly showcase their innovative research.

Professor Charlene du Toit-Brits delivered her inaugural lecture titled Are we there yet? A sense of ownership: Empowering Self-Directed Students in Higher Education.

The word of welcome was expressed by Professor Erika Serfontein, acting school director of the School of Professional Studies in Education (SPSE).

The Faculty of Education at the North-West University’s Vanderbijlpark Campus officially launched the "Busy Bee Kindness Corner" community engagement project on 14 August.

Dr Elize Küng, deputy dean for community engagement and stakeholder relations in the faculty and champion of the project, says the idea for the project came about during a visit to the Kortrijk Campus of the VIVES University of Applied Sciences in Belgium.