Mandela Uni student in Nedbank and Old Mutual Budget Speech Competition
Postgraduate student in Economics, Nonenelo Vuba, has been selected as one of the 20 finalists in the 51st Nedbank and Old Mutual Budget Speech Competition.
Jointly sponsored by Nedbank and Old Mutual, the annual competition poses challenging economic scenarios to undergraduate and postgraduate economics students from tertiary institutions across the country that they need to then research and explore.
For this year's competition, the undergraduate essay topic asked students to share their views on the prospects for economic growth in South Africa over the medium term and to evaluate and discuss the most pertinent factors influencing growth prospects.
Mandela Uni Alumnus off to Global Peace Summit
Mandela University Alumnus and former staff member, Curwyn Mapaling, has been selected as one of 150 participants worldwide, to attend the Global Peace Summit in Kenya next month.
GPS Kenya'23 is a prolific journey in which participants will experience self-contemplation and engagement with young people from around the world.
“This event calls upon extraordinary, young at heart, diligent, Peace and SDGs enthusiasts with an impressive buffet of exciting competitions"
Eastern Cape nanotech whizz bends light for SA’s benefit
Dr Ngcali Tile’s journey from a rural village childhood to pioneering nanotechnology research has been a challenging one – but his determination to succeed in this cutting-edge field is rooted in an appreciation of life beyond electronics.
Born in Mthatha and raised in Ngqeleni, the Nelson Mandela University PhD in physics graduate clawed his way through education with the help of devoted grandparents and government student grants.
His grandfather was “a very curious person”, says Tile, a postdoctoral fellow at the Gqeberha institution, and this piqued his interest in absorbing as much knowledge as he could, about everything.
Today, he works in the fields of nanophononics and semiconductor development – areas mostly mysterious and little-known among the general populace.
Environment drives Eastern Cape researcher’s education journey
A love of nature and a passion for teaching have inspired a Nelson Mandela University academic’s mission to educate young children about the importance of creating a sustainable living environment.
Dr Deidre Geduld is finding ways for teachers to develop practical approaches to appreciating the environment – an initiative sparked during the Covid-19 pandemic, when she became more aware of the ecological crisis.
“For me, that period brought into sharp focus the urgency for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and foundation phase teachers to develop praxis and pedagogical approaches that inspire hope and possibilities among teachers and children towards addressing this crisis,” says Geduld, who has a PhD in education from the institution.
“This burning issue adds to the existing stress and traumas experienced by children in a context characterised by widening and deepening injustice, inequality and poverty.”