Gender Awareness Week (GAW) has become an integral part of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) strategy of promoting diversity and inclusivity among students, staff, and other stakeholders.

GAW takes place from 8 to 12 August 2022, with activities, sessions, and presentations focusing on creating awareness and discussing issues such as gender and identity in diverse contexts. This year’s theme centres around the arts.

Dr Adri du Toit, a member of the research unit for Self-directed Learning, was recently elected as managing president of the South African Association of Family Ecology and Consumer Sciences (SAAFECS) for a period of two years.

This was announced at the bi-annual General Meeting of the SAAFECS organisation, which was part of the SAAFECS Conference.

Minister of Social Development Ms Lindiwe Zulu recently appointed North-West University (NWU) academic Dr Elizabeth Smit as member of the Professional Board for Social Work at the South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP). 

Dr Smit, the deputy director in the School of Psychosocial Health in the Faculty of Humanities, says her appointment for a period of five years comes after a nomination process early in May. 

“Most of the social workers supported my nomination, and the local Department of Social Development office also rallied behind me. 

Ontiretse Motingwa

The subject group Microbiology at the North-West University (NWU) recently facilitated an online webinar focusing on World Hepatitis Day.

Dr Hazel Tumelo Mufhandu, senior lecturer and deputy leader of the subject group was the facilitator, and Dr Nishi Prabdial-Sing, a principal scientist and virologist at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in Johannesburg, was the keynote speaker.

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Nursing, in collaboration with the Department of Education, hosted an anti-bullying campaign and boy’s manhood dialogue at the NWU’s Mahikeng Campus on 28 and 29 June 2022.

Twenty secondary schools in Mahikeng were invited to attend. These included the Sebopiwa Secondary School, Boitseanape Technical School, Ramaina Secondary School, Batswana Commercial School, Batloung High School, and the Kebonang, Sejankabo, Mococe, Tetlano, Motuba, Kebalepile, Lapologang Secondary Schools, among others.

The surge in lifestyle diseases in South Africa could be halted by paying more attention to the lifestyle choices of young and vulnerable learners, especially in rural areas.

“The use of technology plays an important role in the facilitation of teaching and learning in higher education institutions. Cloud computing, which encompasses applications such as YouTube, Google Apps, and Dropbox, have become the reality of contemporary teaching and learning, including nursing education.

North-West University (NWU) nursing student Tshiamo Mokgoetsi was announced as the winner of the WorldSkills South Africa Occupational Standards national competition that took place from 30 to 31 May 2022 in KwaZulu-Natal.

She will now represent South Africa at the 46th International WorldSkills Competition which will be held from 12 to 17 October 2022 in Shanghai, China.

Tshiamo and fellow student Sakhile Ncobo represented the NWU at the national competition, were they competed with two nursing students from Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Campus of the KZN Nursing College.

Misinformation about cannabis use can have serious implications for people facing mental health challenges. Mental healthcare practitioners can counter this by running education campaigns for vulnerable people, including mental healthcare users and especially the youth.

This recommendation comes from Isaac Mokgaola, an academic in the School of Nursing Science, who recently conducted a study on mental healthcare practitioners’ perspectives on the legalisation of cannabis in South Africa.

His study was supervised by Prof Leepile Sehularo and Prof Emmerentia du Plessis.

Prof Doris Bohman, a registered nurse, nurse tutor and associate professor at the Department of Health, Blekinge Institute of Technology, in Sweden, was recently appointed as an extraordinary professor at the North-West University's (NWU’s) Optentia research unit. 

Dr Bohman holds a PhD in medical science and has extensive experience working with ethnographic methods focusing on gerontological care.