UThisha Wezibalo Ungomunye Wama-“100 Shining Stars” eNingizimu Afrika

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UDkt Cerene Rathilal, uThisha osemnkantshubomvu eNyuvesi yaKwaZulu Natali (UKZN) eSikoleni sezoLimo neSayensi, uqokwe njengelinye lelunga elihamba phambili kwababizwa ngele-“100 shining stars” kwincwadi edijithali eyaziwa ngele-Inside Education’s 2025 emcimbini wayo waminyaka yonke wesishiyagalolunye wokuhlonipha intsha yaseNingizimu Afrika ekhuthaza futhi ithuthukise abanye.

U-Rathilal oyisazi sezibalo ubungoti bakhe bukwi-pointfree topology kanye nokuhlaziywa kwedatha e-topological.  Ubengenalwazi ngokuqokwa maqondana nale ndondo. U-Rathilal unconywe yi-Inside Education ngamagalelo akhe amangalisayo ezibalweni, emfundweni, nasekuthuthukisweni kwabesifazane kwiSayensi, Ubuchwepheshe, Ubunjiniyela ne-Mathematika (eyaziwa ngele-STEM).

Umcimbi walonyaka ubunendikimba ethi ‘Amandla Entsha Ngemfundo’ bese yahlonipha abafundi abaqashelwe emikhakheni eyi-12, okuhlanganisa ezefundo, i-Philanthrophy, ezempilo, izinhlangano zomphakathi, isayensi nobuchwepheshe, ezemidlalo, ezombangazwe nokubusa, amabhizinisi, ezobuciko namasiko, imvelo, ezokuthutha nezokuvakasha, kanye nobulungiswa nomthetho.

Ehlonishwa esigabeni sezeMfundo, u-Rathilal waqokonyiswa njengesibonelo esihle kwabesifazane abasebasha emkhakheni wezemfundo obuswa abesilisa.

“Lo mklomelo, akusiwo owami kuphela, kodwa owawo wonke umuntu engisebenza naye kwa-STEM, ngoba uyayibona imizamo yethu nokuthi senza umsebenzi ophusile wokuzama ukulingana ku-STEM,” kusho u-Rathilal.

Ngowezi-2022, u-Rathilal wasungula i-STEM MentHER, uhlelo lukazwelonke lokufundisa manje olusebenza emanyuvesi ayisishiyagalombili futhi lusekela abafundi besifazane abangaphezu kwama-150 abaqhuba izifundo zomkhakha we-STEM. Lolu hlelo lubhangqa amantombazane esikole nezifundiswa zabesifazane kanye nezingcweti ukuze kuqinise ukuzethemba, kukhuthaze umuzwa wokuhlanganyela, nokuvala igebe phakathi kwesikole nenyuvesi.  

Imisebenzi ka-Rathilal ifaka phakathi ukuhola amafestivali amathuba emisebenzi ahamba phambili, ukusingathwa kwezinhlelo ze-International Day of Mathematics njalo ngoNdasa, imizamo yokuqeqesha oThisha, imihlangano yokucobelelana ngolwazi yesayensi, kanye nezinhlelo zokudala ezifana ne-‘Math Tales’ kanye ‘Meet a Mathematician’. Uphinde asebenze njengejaji lamazwe ngamazwe le-FameLab.

Wayengumfundi wase-UKZN, lapho aphothula khona izifundo zakhe zobudokotela, u-Rathilal wabuyela eNyuvesi ngowezi-2023 ngemva kokufundisa eNyuvesi yase-Goli. Uthole i-PhD ngaphansi kokuqondisa kukaSolwazi Dharmanand Baboolal noDkt Paranjothi Pillay. Ubala u-Baboolal no-Pillay njengemithombo ebalulekile yogqozi analo, ikakhulukazi u-Pillay, njengoba sekunguyena kuphela omunye wesifazane onguNgoti nesifundiswa sezibalo e-UKZN.

Ukutuswa kuka-Rathilal kufaka phakathi iMandela Rhodes Scholarship, i-Canon Collins Scholarship, kanye nokuhlonishwa njengomunye wabasha baseNingizimu Afrika be-Mail & Guardian's Top 200 Young South Africans in 2022.

U-Rathilal ungomunye wabesifazane abambalwa abaneziqu ze-PhD kwi-pointfree topology, umkhakha onabasebenzi abangaphansi kwama-30 eNingizimu Afrika, nokho omele iqoqo elikhulu kunawo wonke lochwepheshe be-Pointfree topology emhlabeni jikelele. Esebenzisana nozakwabo uDkt Simo Mthethwa, uqinisekisa ukuthi i-UKZN iqeqesha ongoti be-pointfree topology bakusasa, ikhiqiza ucwaningo oluseqophelweni eliphezulu, futhi iheha abatshalizimali nabalingani bamazwe ngamazwe ukuze baqhubekisele phambili lo mkhakha.

I-Topology igatsha lezibalo elifunda ukwakheka kwama-spaces. Ihlela ngokusemthethweni imiqondo efana nokuqhubeka, ukuxhumana, kanye nokuba seduze ngaphandle kokuthembela kumabanga aqondile noma izixhumanisi. I-Pointfree topology, ifunda ‘i-space’ ngokugxila kuma-‘regions’ umuntu angakhuluma ngawo nokuthi ahlangana kanjani, esikhundleni sokusebenza ngama-‘individual points’.

Evuma ukuthi izibalo azisona isifundo ‘esiwubukhazikhazi’, u-Rathilal uzibophezele ekukhombeni labo abanothando nalabo ababukeka bezokwazi ukuqhubeka kulesi sifundo futhi abaqondise ukuze bafinyelele ekufezeni izifiso zabo.

Uhlela imihlangano yokucobelelana ngolwazi nge-topology, okuhlanganisa ne-‘Topology for Tomorrow’ ngaphansi kwe-African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), nokuyilapho esebenzisa la mathuba ukufundisa lesi sifundo nokwandisa ukufinyelela kwaso.

U-Rathilal uphinde wafundisa izifundo ze-inthanethi kwi-National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences futhi waqondisa i-Future Mathematicians Programme, uphiko lwe-South African Mathematical Society. 

Uqhakambise ukuthi  i-UNESCO 2024 ibika ukuthi ibalelwa cishe ngaphansi kwama-30% imisebenzi ye-STEM ephethwe abesifazane, izinhlelo ezifana ne-STEM MentHER zidlala indima ebalulekile ekwethuleni abesifazane abaningi kule mikhakha kanye nokwenza ngcono lezi zibalo. Ngowezi-2026, iqembu lokuqala labahlanganyeli be-STEM MentHER lizothweswa iziqu.

Umbhalo: wu-Christine Cuénod

Izithombe: Zithunyelwe