Senior Maths Lecturer Presented with a Distinguished Teachers’ Award

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Professor Simon Mukwembi, a recently promoted Associate Professor in Mathematics, has won a Distinguished Teachers' Award (DTA), presented every year to only four academics at UKZN to acknowledge and reward excellence in teaching.

The award, to be presented during Graduation ceremonies in April, recognises innovative teachers of a high calibre.

‘I am delighted,’ said Mukwembi, ‘it is a huge honour to be recognised in this way. It’s personally very satisfying to know people value my contribution to the University and to society.’

He was particularly pleased with the award as it formed part of a long journey of consolidating, refining and perfecting his teaching techniques.

Mukwembi has more than 14 years of teaching experience in mathematics, during which time he has been a teaching assistant, tutor, demonstrator, Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at various universities, including the University of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Open University, and  Masvingo State University. He has been at UKZN since 2006.

‘Although many view Mathematics as a necessary evil, I see it as an interesting field in its own right. I have always wanted to solve problems and I know that the application of mathematics allows us to look at solving-real world problems facing our society by looking at them from a number of angles.’

Asked his development into an accomplished teacher, Mukwembi described teaching as a never-ending journey. ‘I still think that there is room for improvement in my teaching as we live in a dynamic society where the ability of our students varies from one year to the next, necessitating constant changes in delivery techniques.

‘I am humbled and still in shock to hear that I have been pronounced “a great teacher”. I owe this award to my colleagues and to my students.’

Mukwembi says he relies heavily on feedback to gauge results of his work. ‘Feedback comes in different forms; from student evaluation and observation to interacting with students directly. Feedback also comes from colleagues or parents. I believe feedback exposes areas which require remedy and improvement, for both the pupil and the teacher. In my journey, feedback has been the main informant of my teaching. I find optimal solutions to problems are obtained by first identifying their cause; I always want to understand causes of problems in my delivery of lectures.’

Mukwembi has published several research articles in his field of study and holds an Y1 NRF rating. He is also Managing Editor of a leading international, Department of Education-accredited journal, Utilitas Mathematica.

-          Christine Cuénod