SPU Faculty of Education

SCIENCE-FOR-THE-FUTURE PROJECT STRENGTHENS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE EDUCATION IN THE NORTHERN CAPE

For the past six years, Sol Plaatje University's Science-for-the-Future project has been supporting teachers across the Northern Cape through professional development focused on strengthening mathematics and science education.

Through the Faculty of Education, the project equips teachers with practical, learner-centred approaches to make challenging mathematics and science concepts more accessible and engaging. The programme focuses on Mathematics in the Foundation Phase and Key Science Concepts in the Senior Phase, supported by workshops, practical activities, collaborative lesson planning and classroom demonstrations.

The initiative has also fostered a strong Community of Practice involving teachers, subject advisors, SPU academics and Foundation Phase parents, contributing to improved teaching practices, learner participation and confidence among educators. Read more about the project here: https://bit.ly/3ROIiUi

FACULTY OF EDUCATION, SPU WARMLY WELCOMES: Mr Ogodiseng Joseph "KAKA" Mokakale

We're thrilled to welcome Mr Ogodiseng Joseph "KAKA" Mokakale, who previously served at North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus), where he contributed significantly to the advancement of Setswana language and literature.

He is an accomplished author whose Setswana poetry anthology, Tswina ya Poko, received the South African Literary Awards (SALA) 2023 for Best Poetry Book. The anthology is prescribed as a Creative Writing text for first-year students at Sol Plaatje University.
Mr Mokakale is the Chairperson of the Setswana National Language Body, a structure of the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), where he plays a leading role in promoting, developing, and preserving the Setswana language.

His contribution is also immensed on MTBbE, the Department of Basic Education project on reading for understanding on Foundation Phase learners. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS), with a research focus on the relationship between language and culture within Indigenous Knowledge Systems. His scholarly interests include language preservation, indigenous languages, African cultures, lexicography, Terminography and the integration of Indigenous Knowledge Systems into higher education.

Throughout his academic career, he has chaired and coordinated initiatives commemorating International Mother Language Day (IMLD) and International Dictionary Day, promoting multilingualism, language development, and cultural heritage.
Beyond academia, Mr Mokakale presents a weekly programme on SABC’s Motsweding FM every Friday. The programme promotes the correct use of the Setswana language and celebrates Batswana culture, with a particular focus on engaging young people and students across Batswana communities.

Through his teaching, research, literary contributions, language activism, and media engagement, Mr Mokakale continues to make a meaningful contribution to the promotion, preservation, and development of the Setswana language and Indigenous Knowledge Systems.

Congratulations and a warm welcome to the Faculty, “KAKA”

FACULTY OF EDUCATION, SPU WELCOMES Dr Nomzamo Xaba

The Faculty of Education warmly welcomes Dr Nomzamo Xaba as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology Teaching at Sol Plaatje University. Before joining SPU, Dr Nomzamo Xaba was an award-winning Life Sciences Education lecturer at the University of Zululand and an emerging community-engaged researcher, recognised by the Vice-Chancellor and the Dean of the Faculty of Education for her contributions to teaching excellence and socially responsive scholarship.
Her work is centrally concerned with advancing Indigenous Knowledge Systems as a legitimate and generative foundation for science education. She led a University Research Niche Area project titled: Collaborative Knowledge Exchange for Sustainable Integration of Indigenous Knowledge Systems IKS in Science Education, which foregrounds collective, dialogic approaches to repositioning IKS from the margins of curriculum policy to the centre of pedagogical practice. In this work, teachers, students, and communities are positioned as co-constructors of knowledge, challenging extractive and hierarchical models of curriculum implementation.
Situated within rural and historically marginalised contexts, her research examines how language, culture, and social relations shape participation, meaning making, and knowledge production in science education. She is particularly interested in how dominant epistemologies can be disrupted through Ubuntu-informed pedagogies, translanguaging practices, and the intentional integration of IKS to foster epistemic access and justice.
Dr Xaba is also a co-investigator in an NRF-funded project on STEM-informed anxiety and resilience, where she contributes to understanding how relational and culturally responsive pedagogies can support teacher and learner development in under-resourced environments. Her scholarship contributes to broader debates on decolonisation, epistemic justice, and the transformation of science education in African higher education. We warmly welcome Dr Xaba to the SPU community and, especially, to the Faculty.

BEYOND LABELLING: SPU LAUNCHES ITS FIRST RESEARCH CHAIR

How do neurodiverse children in rural communities move beyond a label towards learning, opportunity and belonging? This Friday, Sol Plaatje University hosts the Inaugural Lecture and Launch of its first DSTI-NRF South African Research Chair in Inclusive Rural Education and Early Childhood Development, held by Prof Boitumelo M. Diale. Watch online on the official SPU YouTube channel and here on the Faculty of Education's page.

Full details: https://bit.ly/3TnTvLS

CONGRATULATIONS TO PROFESSOR DIPANE HLALELE ON INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH RECOGNITION

The Faculty of Education congratulates Professor Dipane Hlalele, Dean of the Faculty, on being recognised for the third consecutive time among the Top 100 Education Scientists in South Africa by the AD Scientific Index 2026, released on 22 July 2026.

The AD Scientific Index (Alper-Doger Scientific Index) is an independent international system that evaluates the scientific performance and productivity of over 2.6 million researchers in 221 countries, across 13 fields and 221 disciplines. It ranks individual researchers using transparent bibliometric indicators, including total H-index, five-year H-index, i10-index, citation performance, and research momentum.

In the 2026 rankings, Professor Hlalele is 70th among Education scientists in South Africa, with a total H-index of 21, a five-year H-index of 16, and an H-index Momentum Score of 76.2%, reflecting the growing impact of his research. This achievement embodies the Faculty’s commitment to scholarship and research.