UKZN Maths Lecturer Receives National Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award

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Professor Simon Mukwembi of UKZN’s School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science (SMSCS) is one of only five recipients in the country of a National Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award for 2014 in recognition of his inspiring approach towards teaching and championing Mathematics education.

The National Excellence in Teaching Awards is a project of the Council of Higher Education (CHE) in collaboration with the Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa (HELTASA). The initiative aims to acknowledge and support excellence in teaching at a national level and creates a recognisable group of top academics who inspire their colleagues with their leadership abilities in the field of teaching and learning. The awards also explore exactly what characterises excellence in teaching.

Mukwembi has been particularly interested in combatting the negative perception of mathematics as a necessary evil through careful instruction and commitment to his students.

‘It has become an accepted norm in communities to say “I cannot do Maths”,’ said Mukwembi. ‘As a Mathematics Lecturer and Researcher, it is a great honour to be a recipient of this award and I am humbled. I consider this rating, at a national level, to be a reward for my contribution to society through teaching. I would like to use mathematical principles, through teaching students and teachers, through research, and through partnering with our community, to solve many of the problems that society has, however complex they may be.’

In Mukwembi’s approach to teaching, appreciating the complexity of the task is the first step towards attaining excellence.

‘I can equate the intricateness of teaching with that of irrigation, where it is simply not enough to bring water where it is needed. Flooding can destroy crops or drive nutrients away. The irrigator needs to do research in order to achieve the delicate balance of knowing where water is required, how much water is required, when and how the watering should be done,’ explained Mukwembi.

He has been recognised both within the University community and in broader society for his efforts in making the sometimes challenging subject more accessible. He has also been involved in several University community engagement projects aimed at up-skilling high school teachers in Mathematics.

The SMSCS-led programmes have reached 332 Mathematics high school teachers over the past few years, with the exponential effect of close to 100 000 high school learners benefiting annually from the expertise imparted to their teachers. His work led to him being awarded a Distinguished Teacher’s Award for 2013 from the University.

‘In Mathematics, it is important that one changes the negative attitude that students have towards the subject by inspiring them, forming in them the realisation of the need for Mathematics and assuring them that the subject is not difficult,’ said Mukwembi. ‘Teachers need to be knowledgeable and be able to tailor delivery techniques for different groups of students. Moreover, one should know how to use feedback for identification of areas requiring remedy and provide an environment that is essential for learning.’

Mukwembi, who has more than 14 years of experience in teaching at universities across Africa, is an NRF-rated researcher and has published more than 47 articles solving problems in his field of expertise, namely graph theory and its applications.

He is lauded by his colleagues for his ability to achieve such great teaching accolades while still being one of the Top 30 researchers at UKZN. His research is focused in three different areas within and outside of classical graph theory - namely, distances in graphs, combinatorial group theory and applications of discrete structures in mathematical modelling. He is pioneering the development of dynamical mathematical models, not only to solve systemic problems in Higher Education, but also to introduce new methods of teaching. He is also a Managing Editor of the Utilitas Mathematica journal.

Attracted to Mathematics because of its uniqueness, Mukwembi believes the subject is able to make predictions which give us a complete understanding and control of the environment. He finds that successfully designing an ideal learning environment for students and being able to inspire them to become independent and logical thinkers above and beyond the course objectives, equipped to meet the requirements of society, is the most rewarding aspect of his work.

‘I have been overjoyed to see my PhD students and my former PhD students researching and publishing technically dense papers of the highest quality, solving practical problems and in turn teaching others.’

Mukwembi has previously spoken of his vocation as a journey which is never fully complete. ‘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.’

Mukwembi’s commitment to community engagement is inspired by his belief that every university has a social responsibility to society.

Mukwembi, who started at UKZN in 2006 after being at the University of Zimbabwe, expressed gratitude to UKZN for the role it has played in his attainment of a PhD and his promotion from Senior Lecturer to Associate Professor.

‘UKZN has continued to provide me with an enabling environment by providing various research grants and support, as well as great teaching facilities,’ said Mukwembi. ‘When it comes to supporting research and teaching, UKZN is like a machine whose components are so well co-ordinated and oiled that delivery is done at the correct time, in desired quantities, and beyond the call of duty. UKZN simply rewards and support hard work. It is phenomenal.’

Mukwembi thanked his family for their support over the years, saying that his wife, sister and children have always been supportive of his endeavours. He also credited his colleagues for their contributions to his career.

‘I can single out a few colleagues, firstly Professor Vithal and her Teaching and Learning team, Ms Thandeka Mkhize, and all colleagues from the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, with a special mention of Professor Sunil Maharaj, Professor Kesh Govinder and Dr Anesh Maharaj for our collaboration in taking “Mathematics to the community” for better solutions.’

Mukwembi will receive his award at the gala dinner of the annual HELTASA Conference at the University of the Free State from 18-21 November.

Christine Cuénod