Executive Dean of Science Professor Azwinndini Muronga is dedicated to opening doors for maths and science students from all walks of life.
“In my role as a physics researcher, maths and science educator, immediate past President and international liaison councillor of the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP), and Executive Dean of Science at Nelson Mandela University, I am extremely concerned about the state of maths and science education in South Africa,” says Professor Azwinndini Muronga.
He is one of several notable academics making significant strides in furthering the university’s commitment to access for success.
“As academics, we cannot sit back and watch our learners fail at school, fail to gain entrance to university or fail at university. We have therefore introduced several programmes to help change the state of maths and science education in the Eastern and Southern Cape.”
Prior to joining Nelson Mandela University in 2016, Prof Muronga was the founder and director of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Soweto Science Centre from 2010 to 2016. His team demonstrated that significant successes in high school maths and science are absolutely possible.
“From 2011 we offered focused maths and science mentoring and inspiration to approximately 1000 Grade 8 – 12 maths and science learners from Soweto and the surrounding areas,” he explains. “Many subsequently matriculated with distinctions in maths and science, contributing to the quality of passes in Soweto, boosting Gauteng’s performance by township schools and the number of university entrants.”
To achieve similar results in the Eastern and Southern Cape, the Faculty of Science at Nelson Mandela University has established its flagship Science Education, Communication, and Outreach Programme (SECOP), which focuses on science education from Grade R learners to undergraduate university students, with outreach programmes for learners, teachers and communities across the Eastern Cape, starting with schools in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and in the rural communities of Mvezo, Cala and Cofimvaba. This is part of the faculty’s Engagement Strategy.
In its recurriculation and programme review, the Faculty of Science is focusing on ensuring that all students are able to access the diverse range of programmes offered and to articulate these into various career paths as necessitated by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. An example of this recurriculation is the expansion of the current BSc extended studies programme (four-year BSc degree) to cover all the streams in the faculty in line with the three-year BSc degree programme.
At the final year BSc and postgraduate level, Prof Muronga, through the National Institute of Theoretical Physics Internship Programme (NITheP), runs workshops during the university holidays for final-year BSc students majoring in mathematical and physical sciences, and physics postgraduate students from throughout South Africa, many from rural areas. These students will join the global science community.
The university, through the Faculty of Science, is now an affiliate of the International Undergraduate Awards, and the Faculty of Science is participating in the awards to encourage a culture of excellence in its undergraduate students.
