18 April 2018 Volume :6 Issue :13

Former First Lady Congratulates UKZN Staffer

Gugu Motlanthe, wife of former President of South Africa Kgalema Motlanthe congratulates her cousin Dr Nompumelelo Thabethe.

South Africa’s former first lady, Gugu Motlanthe, wife of former President Kgalema Motlanthe, was in attendance at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Graduation ceremony to congratulate her cousin who graduated with a PhD in Education.

Dr Nompumelelo Thabethe, a lecturer at UKZN graduated this week.

Thabethe looked at epistemological experiences in community-based learning, making critical connections in theory and practice. She argued that there was disjuncture between the current Higher Education Institutions (HEI) system and students epistemological experiences resulting in irrelevant knowledge production.

‘It highlights a shift in knowledge production from traditional students, who are regarded as privileged, to non-traditional students studying communities they share similar struggles with. This exposes the elitist nature of university education and reveals that while HEI systems have transformed structurally, institutional cultures remain untransformed leaving students to balance tensions,’ said Thabethe.

Words by: Melissa Mungroo 

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